Three dead and Briton in intensive care after suspected hantavirus outbreak on Atlantic cruise ship
The FCDO says it is "closely monitoring reports of a potential hantavirus outbreak".
Three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
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One case of hantavirus has been confirmed, while five more suspected cases are under investigation, the WHO said.
A British tourist is being treated in hospital in South Africa after the suspected outbreak, a spokesperson for the country’s department of health said.
Hantavirus is a serious, often fatal, viral infection transmitted primarily by rodents through saliva, urine, or droppings.
In rare cases, the virus can spread between people and lead to severe respiratory illness.
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The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.
It was docked near Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday night, according to ship tracking website MarineTraffic.
It has a capacity for 170 passengers in 80 cabins, according to tour company Oceanwide Expeditions.
According to the South African health authority, a 70-year-old man and his 69-year-old wife, from the Netherlands, have died after falling ill.
The ministry said the man suffered fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and died in St Helena, while the woman was taken to hospital in the Kempton Park area of South Africa after collapsing at an airport.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told LBC: "We are closely monitoring reports of a potential hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius and stand ready to support British nationals if needed.
"We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities."
LBC has contacted Dutch-based tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, which runs the MV Hondius, for comment.