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BREAKING NEWS: Three cruise ship passengers are dead after 'respiratory illness' outbreak onboard
Three people have died after an outbreak of a 'severe respiratory illness' on a cruise ship in the Atlantic.
A British man was taken to intensive care after the virus spread onboard the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde in Africa.
The illness - known as a hantavirus - is typically spread by rodents and can cause hemorrhagic fever.
A 70–year–old passenger was the first person to die onboard the boat – with his body currently on the island of Saint Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic.
His 69–year–old wife also fell ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa where she died in a Johannesburg Hospital.
A 69–year–old Briton was also evacuated to Johannesburg, where he was being treated in intensive care.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this evening it was 'aware of the cases of severe acute respiratory illness on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic'.
It confirmed three people had died onboard, one of them as the victim of hantavirus, and said it was investigating six suspected cases in total.
A spokesman said: 'To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases.
'Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.
'Investigations and a coordinated international public health response is underway. We will share more information as it becomes available.'
What are hantaviruses?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death.
They are typically spread by rodents and are not normally spread person-to-person.
The viruses can cause two syndromes - hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
A source close to the case said the provisional toll was three dead, including a Dutch couple.
Speaking anonymously, they added discussions were taking place to decide whether two sick passengers should be placed in isolation in hospital in Cape Verde.
They added the ship would then continue to Spain's Canary Islands.
Hantaviruses are spread by rodents, in particular contact with their urine, droppings and saliva, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The MV Hondius is listed as a polar cruise ship on the websites of several travel agencies. It is operated by a Dutch–based tour company, Oceanwide Expeditions.
One of the cruises offers an itinerary departing from Ushuaia for Cape Verde, with stops in the islands of South Georgia and Saint Helena.
According to several online ship–tracking sites, the MV Hondius was just off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
The vessel can accommodate around 170 passengers and has some 70 crew members.
The Foreign Office told the Daily Mail: 'We are closely monitoring reports of a potential hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius and stand ready to support British nationals if needed.
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'We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities.' Source: DailyMail