Three dead on Atlantic cruise ship in suspected Hantavirus outbreak, says WHO

Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, the WHO said Sunday, one a confirmed case of hantavirus -- an illness usually transmitted to humans from rodents. The outbreak occurred on the MV Hondius, travelling from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde. "To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases," the World Health Organization told AFP. "Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa." Earlier Sunday, South Africa's health ministry told AFP there had been an outbreak of a "severe acute respiratory illness", which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg. The patient treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. In its statement, the WHO said hantavirus infections "are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents' urine or faeces). "While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness and requires careful patient monitoring, support and response." Husband and wife The first person on the cruise to develop