Couple k!lled in hantavirus outbreak ‘contracted it during bird watching trip’

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Couple k!lled in hantavirus outbreak ‘contracted it during bird watching trip’

A Dutch couple who died after a hantavirus outbreak on board the cruise ship MV Hondius are believed to have contracted the illness while birdwatching in Argentina, according to officials.Authorities in Argentina said their leading theory is that the two passengers, both aged 69, were exposed to the rodent borne virus while visiting a landfill site in the city of Ushuaia before boarding the vessel.The couple reportedly joined the ship on April 1, 2026, and the husband developed flu like symptoms five days later. He died on April 11, while his wife later fell ill and died in Johannesburg on April 26 after travelling through Saint Helena.The family of the couple said: We cannot yet comprehend that we have to miss them. We want to bring them home in peace and remember them. The outbreak aboard the luxury cruise liner has since sparked an international health response after several more suspected and confirmed cases emerged during the ships voyage towards Cape Verde.Images showed ambulance boats carrying crew members in hazmat suits travelling between the port of Praia and the ship as evacuations took place. The World Health Organization said contact tracing had begun for passengers who travelled with the Dutch woman on a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg.Contact tracing for passengers on the flight has been initiated, the WHO said in a statement. According to South African airline Airlink , there were 82 passengers and six crew members onboard the April 25 flight.Argentine authorities also noted that Ushuaia and the surrounding Tierra del Fuego province had never previously recorded a hantavirus case. A German national also died aboard the ship on May 2, although officials have not confirmed whether the passenger had contracted the virus.Health authorities said five people have now been confirmed to have hantavirus, while three more suspected cases are being monitored. A British passenger remains in intensive care in South Africa after being evacuated from the vessel at the end of April. Swiss officials also confirmed a hantavirus case involving a passenger from the first leg of the cruise, who later sought treatment in Zurich after receiving an email warning about the outbreak.Three individuals, including the ships British doctor, were medically evacuated from the cruise ship on Wednesday. Two were reported to be in serious condition and tested positive for the virus, while another person remained asymptomatic but had close contact with the German passenger who died. Hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to infected rodent urine, saliva or droppings, although the WHO believes rare human to human transmission may have taken place aboard the ship.The illness can cause severe respiratory disease known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, as well as a kidney related condition called Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome. Early symptoms often resemble flu and include headaches, fever, dizziness, nausea and abdominal pain. Severe cases can lead to breathing difficulties, kidney failure, internal bleeding and shock.Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at University of Oxford, said the wider public health risk remained extremely low. It means it is very easy to isolate people who are unwell and to follow quarantine and so on to avoid spread to other people, he said.The evacuation operation means the ship is now expected to continue its journey to the Canary Islands after Spanish authorities granted permission for the vessel to dock.The post Couple k!lled in hantavirus outbreak contracted it during bird watching trip appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
Source: Couple k!lled in hantavirus outbreak ‘contracted it during bird watching trip’