A luxury Atlantic cruise has turned into a floating quarantine zone as a suspected outbreak of therare rodent-borne hantavirushas left three passengers dead and dozens more stranded off the coast of West Africa.
Currently anchored off the port of Praia, Cape Verde, the Dutch-operated expedition vesselMV Hondiushas beenbarred from dockingby local officials, despite urgency, leaving 149 passengers and crew trapped in limbo, citing public health precautions.
The mounting panic inside the vessel was laid bare by travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin, who posted a tearful video from his cabin. 'All we want is to feel safe,' Rosmarin said.
The tragedy began unfolding mid-voyage after the vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April. According to public health authorities, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger fell ill on board and died on 11 April. His body was disembarked at the British territory of Saint Helena on 24 April.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, his 69-year-old wife, who was accompanying his body back to the Netherlands, collapsed at an airport in South Africa and died shortly after at a hospital in Kempton Park. A third passenger, a German national, died on board the vessel on 2 May, and their body remains on the ship.
Meanwhile, according to the South African health ministry, a 69-year-old British passenger who fell severely ill on the ship was medically evacuated to a private intensive care unit in Johannesburg, where he remains in a critical but stable condition. He later tested positive for hantavirus,The Guardianreported. 23 nationalities are currently on board, including 19 British and 17 American citizens.
As global attention shifts off the coast of Cape Verde, questions about hantavirus have grown, including what it is and how deadly it can be.
Orthohantaviruses, more commonly known ashantavirusesis a rare but potentially deadly family of viruses carried by rodents. Worldwide, there are at least 38 recognised hantavirus species, 24 of which can cause disease in humans,Prof Adam Taylor of Lancaster Universitysaid.
In terms ofhow deadly it is, it depends on the strain. The 'Old World' variant, native to Europe/Asia, causes kidney issues with a 1% to 15% mortality rate, while 'New World' variants found in America can trigger Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a swift, severe lung disease with a fatality rate of about 40%, as reported byThe Guardian.
Currently, there are no vaccines or specific antiviral cures for it. The treatment is strictly supportive, relying on early hospitalization, fluid management, and oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation to help patients survive.
Source: International Business Times UK
