The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday reported a suspected outbreak of hantavirus infection on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
“To date, there has been one laboratory-confirmed case of hantavirus infection, and five additional suspected cases,” the global health agency said in a post on Twitter.
“Three of the six affected individuals have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.”
The organization said an investigation is underway to determine what caused the health crisis on the ship.
A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed to Reuters news agency that two Dutch passengers had died, but gave no further details.
What do we know about hantavirus infection?
Hantavirus is found all over the world.
It is usually spread by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents such as rats and mice.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can cause a serious and sometimes fatal lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Although rare, WHO said hantavirus infection can spread between people.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus infection, but prompt medical attention can increase the chances of survival.
South Africa is doing contact tracing
The South African Department of Health said the outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
It said there were about 150 tourists on board the ship.
The ship left Argentina about three weeks ago for a cruise that included other stops along the way to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and Spain’s Canary Islands on the other side of the Atlantic.
South African officials said they were conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg area to determine if other people had come in contact with infected travelers in South Africa.
Edited by: Rana Taha