The US health authorities are diligently monitoring passengers from the cruise ship Hondius after a life-threatening Hantavirus outbreak associated with the vessel.
Three people passed away and at least five others are suspected to be infected, raising concerns among passengers after 30 people from the cruise left on April 24 at the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena without full contact tracing.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said it is trying to locate all passengers who disembarked, including six Americans. Some passengers have returned to states including Arizona, Georgia, and California, though none are currently showing symptoms.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions released a statement on Thursday, saying the company was “working to establish” the whereabouts of all those who landed on April 24 and had contacted each of them.
It stated the number included six Americans.
Dutch officials also confirmed that a flight attendant in the Netherlands is being experimented for Hantavirus.
The possible case is associated with a Dutch woman who died after boarding a KLM flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam.
As per the World Health Organization, the outbreak involves the Andes strain of Hantavirus, a rare kind of virus that transmits between people through close contact.
How Hantavirus spreads?
Experts stated Hantavirus spreads far less easily in contrast to other diseases such as Covid-19 or influenza.
Up to 150 people remain isolated on the ship as it travels from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, where evacuations are expected to begin Monday.
