Three die on Atlantic cruise ship from suspected hantavirus

Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the World Health Organization says, one a confirmed case of hantavirus — an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents.

The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, traveling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde.

“To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases,” the WHO tells AFP.

“Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.”

Earlier Sunday, South Africa’s health ministry told AFP there had been an outbreak of a “severe acute respiratory illness” that killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg.