South Africa Identifies Hantavirus Strain Capable of Human Transmission on Cruise Ship
A luxury cruise ship, the MV Hondius, has been marooned off the coast of Cape Verde due to an outbreak of a deadly hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission. The virus, identified as the Andes strain, has resulted in the deaths of a Dutch couple and a German national, with a British national in intensive care in South Africa. The World Health Organization has indicated that the risk to the broader public is low, as human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare and typically occurs only through close contact. The ship is set to head to Spain, where it will dock at the Canary Island of Tenerife, following a request from the World Health Organization and the European Union. Contact tracing is underway for 62 individuals, including flight crew and healthcare workers, who have been in contact with infected passengers. 
