Hantavirus breaks out on cruise ship off Cape Verde in South Atlantic with 150 people waiting to be evacuated
發佈日期: 2026-05-05 21:08
TVB News
A cruise ship with nearly 150 people on board was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean, after three passengers died and at least three other people were left seriously ill in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus.
Cape Verde's Health Ministry said that for now it will not allow the ship to dock because of the public health concerns.
Health workers seen getting off the MV Hondius ship off Cape Verde. The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic had requested help from local health authorities after making its way to the island of Cape Verde, off the West Africa coast. No one was allowed to disembark, the ship's operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.
And Cape Verde's Health Ministry said that for now it will not allow the ship to dock because of public health concerns.
Hantavirus is a rare disease typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their bodily fluids.
Two crew members with respiratory symptoms required urgent care and plans are underway for medical evacuations. Another infected passenger previously evacuated to South Africa remains in critical condition. Among those who died are a Dutch man and his wife, and a German passenger.
The World Health Organization is working with authorities to understand the source of exposure through epidemiological investigations and is doing contact tracing to identify any further cases.
WHO Director Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, Maria Van Kerkhove said, "Right now, our focus is on treating the patients and keeping the remaining passengers and crew safe. At the same time, we are working with authorities to understand the source of exposure through epidemiological investigations and doing contact tracing to identify any further cases. Laboratory tests are also ongoing. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, their droppings, or their saliva. Spread between people is uncommon, but limited spread has been reported among close contacts in some previous outbreaks."
