Epidemic hazard

Medical teams were trying to evacuate two people who showed symptoms of the dangerous hantavirus after a suspected outbreak on a luxury cruise ship stuck off West Africa. The ship was carrying mostly British, American, and Spanish passengers, officials said.
About 150 people were still on board after three passengers — a Dutch couple and a German man — died, and several others fell ill. One British passenger had already left the ship and was being treated in South Africa.
A U.S. travel blogger on the ship said in an emotional video that the situation was very uncertain and frightening, adding that the passengers are real people with families waiting for them at home.
The World Health Organization said the risk to the general public is low because hantavirus usually spreads through rodents and does not easily pass between people.
Authorities in Cape Verde did not allow the ship to dock as a safety measure to protect public health. The ship's operator said it was dealing with a serious medical situation and was trying to arrange health checks and allow passengers to leave the ship at other locations, such as the Canary Islands. It was also working to send two sick crew members back home and transport the body of one of the deceased passengers.
The ship had started its journey in southern Argentina in March on an Antarctic cruise, traveling through several remote locations before reaching Cape Verde.
The WHO said there is no need for panic or travel restrictions, but it is acting quickly to help manage the situation, including medical care, evacuations, and investigations.
Hantavirus infections are rare and usually come from contact with infected rodents. The disease can be severe, but it does not spread easily between people.
South African officials confirmed that two of the deaths were a Dutch couple. The husband died earlier on St. Helena, and his wife later died in South Africa. Tests confirmed that the British patient in Johannesburg had hantavirus.
The virus spreads when particles from rodent droppings or urine become airborne and are breathed in. There is no specific cure, so treatment focuses on supporting patients, including the use of ventilators in serious cases. Symptoms usually start like the flu, such as fever and tiredness, one to eight weeks after infection.
Officials are still investigating how the virus spread. It may have come from rats on the ship or from exposure during earlier stops in South America.