A cruise ship that recently reported cases of the deadly hantavirus has been denied permission to dock. Meanwhile, nearly 150 people are still on board, two of whom are in serious condition.
This is reported by NBC News.
According to authorities, hantavirus is likely to have caused the death of three passengers and the illness of four others. One patient is hospitalized in critical condition. A British citizen is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa, the country's Ministry of Health said in a statement. It said the patient was in a "critical condition."
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on May 4 that testing had confirmed hantavirus as the source of infection in two patients. But it said the current risk to the general public from the disease was low and there was no need to panic.
The remaining passengers, who are nationals of 23 different countries, are required to follow strict precautions, including isolation and medical monitoring, the cruise operator said.
The West African country of Cape Verde said it had decided to prevent the Hondius cruise ship from docking at the port of Praia as a precautionary measure.
The Hondius set sail from Argentina for the Canary Islands - Spanish-controlled islands off the west coast of Africa - about three weeks ago with about 150 people on board. The WHO said on Monday that there were 147 people on board the ship - 88 passengers and 59 crew members.
Two crew members, one British and one Dutch, fell ill and required "urgent medical attention" on board the Hondius, the cruise operator said. They, along with a third patient still on board, had "mild" symptoms, the WHO said.
The WHO said it was helping to plan a medical evacuation for the patients, and a representative from Cape Verde said a medical plane was being prepared to be deployed if necessary.
Oceanwide said on Sunday night that local health workers were on board to screen those with symptoms but "have not yet made a decision to transport these individuals for medical treatment in Cape Verde."
WHO's Director of Epidemic Preparedness and Prevention, Maria Van Kerkhove, said the remaining passengers on board the ship were not showing any symptoms at the moment, but they were advised to stay in their cabins while crew members disinfected the ship.
Meanwhile, health officials are trying to figure out how it all happened.
"We are working with authorities to determine the source of the infection through epidemiological investigations and contact tracing to identify other cases. Laboratory tests are also ongoing," Van Kerkhove said.
Two of the deceased were a married couple - a 70-year-old man who died on board on April 11 and was pronounced dead after arriving on the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena on April 24, and a 69-year-old woman who collapsed at Johannesburg International Airport while trying to return to the Netherlands.
Oceanwide said the third victim was a German national, although the official cause of death was not known. The German Foreign Ministry later confirmed the death. The WHO said the victim was a woman who likely had pneumonia and symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection, including fever and "general malaise."
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