Three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the BBC.
One case has been confirmed, with five suspected cases under investigation, it said. One British national aged 69 is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their urine or faeces. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.
Good grief! 70 year old husband dies on board, 69 year old wife medevaced and dies in a hospital in South Africa. Prob a dream holiday for this Dutch couple who aren’t going home again.
170 passengers in 80 cabins, 52 crew and ONE DOCTOR I can’t even imagine how stressful it would be - you spend 99.9% of your time getting paid to be on a cruise - deal with minor injuries and prob too many hangovers - telling yourself this is a pretty sweet gig, then BAM nightmare of a lifetime scenario. You’re stuck on a ship, responsible for the wellbeing of over 200 people who are all now freaking out over a yucky and potentially deadly virus killing fellow travellers.
My Auntie used to be a cruise ship doctor. Like you say it’s a sweet gig and got to take her husband too. She didn’t have anything like this happen but it can be, like any job, crazy busy and crazy slow.
I think she told me one time there was signs of an outbreak so people were confined to their rooms and precaution like using tissues to open doors then dispose of instantly afterwards. I guess the tactic there is preventive. Nothing severe happened that I know of.