Cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak has been reported, May 4, off Cape Verde. (©Reuters via Kyodo)
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The cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak is expected to reach Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands, as early as May 9. The vessel departed from Argentina, stopped in Antarctica, and docked in Cape Verde before resuming its voyage.
Once testing and treatment are completed, passengers and crew are expected to be returned to their home countries.
The Dutch-registered ship is carrying approximately 150 people. Eight have either tested positive or been identified as infected, and three have died. A Japanese national is among those on board, though they have not been identified as one of the infected.
WHO: Low Risk to General Public
While human-to-human transmission is considered uncommon, the World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the outbreak and has not ruled out the possibility that some infections occurred through close contact. The WHO has nonetheless stated that the risk to the general public remains low.
Swiss authorities have separately confirmed that a man who disembarked from the ship earlier tested positive after returning home.
Japan's health ministry has stated that even if an infected passenger enters the country, the risk of domestic spread through person-to-person transmission remains low, provided that appropriate quarantine measures and contact tracing are carried out.
High Fatality Rate
Hantavirus spreads through the inhalation of dust contaminated with rodent droppings. Symptoms include fever, coughing, and muscle pain, and the illness can deteriorate rapidly and prove fatal. The strain identified on the ship is the Andes strain, which is estimated to have a fatality rate of 40–50%.
The three people who died were a Dutch couple and a German national. One confirmed patient is currently receiving intensive care in South Africa, while three suspected cases were evacuated from the ship for treatment in the Netherlands. Passengers have reportedly been instructed to remain in their cabins.
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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