1 Japanese Aboard Cruise Ship Hit by Hantavirus Outbreak

Paris, May 5 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese traveler is among the passengers of the MV Hondius, a cruise ship on which a hantavirus outbreak occurred during a voyage in the Atlantic Ocean, the operator of the vessel said Monday. A total of about 150 passengers and crew members are aboard the ship, according to the operator. Three people have died while three others on the ship are showing symptoms such as fever, the World Health Organization said. Two people, including a dead individual, were confirmed to have been infected with the virus, which is transmitted by rodents such as rats. Infection is suspected for five people. The virus is rarely transmitted from person to person, but there is no established treatment or vaccine. Passengers have been told to stay in their cabins and keep a distance from others. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said: “The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.” The MV Hondius, which left Argentina on April 1, was slated to arrive in Cape Verde, an Atlantic island country located off western Africa, after touring Antarctica and southern Atlantic islands. The ship is now anchored off the coast as Cape Verde authorities refused its entry to a port in the country. Currently being studied is a plan for the cruise ship to head for the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory in the Atlantic Ocean, and for its passengers and crew members to be tested there for hantavirus infection. According to the ship operator and media reports, a 70-year-old male Dutch passenger of the MV Hondius died on April 11. His 69-year-old wife, who disembarked from the vessel with her husband’s body April 24, also fell ill and died. A woman from Germany died aboard the ship Saturday. Three people on board, including two crew members, are showing signs of infection. A British man, 69, is undergoing intensive care after being transported to South Africa. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]