A cruise ship linked to a suspected hantavirus outbreak is now effectively stranded at sea, NBC News reports. The African country of Cape Verde has blocked the Hondius from docking at Praia, leaving 147 people on board, including 88 passengers from 23 countries and 59 crew members. Three passengers have died and four others are infected, the World Health Organization said Monday, with hantavirus confirmed in two of the cases. One British passenger is in critical condition in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, while two crew members and another passenger remain on the ship with milder symptoms. Symptoms reported among the passengers have ranged from fever, gastrointestinal issues, and respiratory distress to pneumonia and shock, the New York Post reports.
Passengers still aboard have been told to isolate in their cabins as the crew disinfects the vessel, and plans are being drawn up for possible medical evacuations by air ambulance. Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions says the ship may instead head to Spain's Canary Islands to dock. WHO officials stress that hantavirus is rare in humans and not easily passed person-to-person, calling the broader public health risk low and urging against panic or travel bans. Just one strain of hantavirus is known to spread from human to human, CNN reports. Investigators are now trying to determine how the virus—typically linked to exposure to infected rodents—reached those on the Hondius, including whether passengers had contact with wildlife before or during the voyage.
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