Health authorities are investigating a new suspected case of hantavirus linked to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, as global contact tracing efforts continue.
According report that the latest suspected infection involves a British passenger who disembarked on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha after the vessel stopped there in mid-April.
The outbreak has already resulted in the deaths of three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German national — while several others are receiving treatment in hospitals across Europe and Africa.
Health officials said the outbreak involves the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, which unlike most hantaviruses can occasionally spread between humans through close contact.
Authorities on Tristan da Cunha, regarded as the world’s most remote inhabited island, have placed some residents under precautionary isolation after possible exposure to infected passengers.
One island resident has reportedly been hospitalized, while his wife is self-isolating. Four other islanders who traveled onward to Saint Helena have also been advised to isolate as a safety measure.
International health agencies, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are monitoring the situation closely.
The CDC classified the outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response — its lowest alert category — while experts continue to stress that the risk of a widespread outbreak remains low because person-to-person transmission of the Andes strain is considered rare.
The MV Hondius, carrying around 150 passengers and crew, is currently heading toward Tenerife in Spain after spending days off Cape Verde during medical evacuations.
Meanwhile, authorities in several countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa, and the United States, are tracing passengers and monitoring anyone who may have had close contact with infected travelers
