3 Dead in Hantavirus Outbreak Aboard Cruise Ship in the Atlantic

Three people are dead and at least three others sickened after a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization and South Africa's Department of Health announced Sunday — a rare maritime health emergency with unsettling implications for the millions of Floridians, including thousands of Treasure Coast residents, who board cruise ships each year.

The outbreak occurred aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged polar expedition vessel that departed Argentina roughly three weeks ago. The voyage took passengers to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other remote Atlantic stops before heading toward Spain's Canary Islands, South African health officials said. Approximately 150 tourists and an estimated 70 crew members were aboard at the time.

A 70-year-old man died onboard, the first victim. His body was removed at Saint Helena, a remote British territory in the South Atlantic. His wife later collapsed at a South African airport while attempting to board a flight home to the Netherlands and died at a nearby hospital. A British national was hospitalized in Johannesburg after falling ill near Ascension Island.

As of Sunday night, vessel tracking data showed the Hondius docked at Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, off West Africa's coast.

"WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean," the organization said in a statement. "Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing."

At least one case of hantavirus has been confirmed, WHO said, while stressing that the investigation remains active.

Hantavirus is transmitted through contact with the urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents — rats and mice most commonly. How rodents may have accessed a vessel carrying polar expedition passengers remains under investigation. The virus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe and potentially fatal lung infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While human-to-human transmission is rare, WHO confirmed it is possible.

There is no specific antiviral treatment. Early medical attention improves survival odds significantly.

The virus received widespread public attention earlier this year after Betsy Arakawa, wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico.

For Treasure Coast residents — many of whom embark from Port Canaveral, PortMiami or Port Everglades — health officials generally advise anyone returning from a cruise who develops fever, muscle aches or difficulty breathing within six weeks of travel to seek medical evaluation promptly and inform their provider of their travel history.

South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases has launched contact tracing in the Johannesburg region to identify anyone who may have been exposed to infected passengers after they disembarked.

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