The cruise vessel MV Hondius was sailing from West Africa to the Canary Islands with around 150 people on board.
This was reported by HealthDay, citing information from cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
However, the risk of the disease spreading widely remains very low.
U.S. health authorities are nevertheless monitoring passengers who have returned home from the voyage.
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The states of California, Georgia, and Arizona are monitoring several individuals, though no new infections have been reported so far.
Rare disease
Hantavirus is often linked to contact with saliva or droppings from infected mice and rats.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the disease can begin with symptoms such as fever, headaches, and stomach pain. In severe cases, it can develop rapidly and become life-threatening.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 890 cases were recorded in the United States between 1993 and 2022, making the disease extremely rare.
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Three people dead
So far, three passengers have died during the cruise. Oceanwide Expeditions said the victims were a Dutch married couple and a German man.
The New York Times reports that the Dutch man first became ill while on board the ship.
Later, his wife collapsed at the airport in Johannesburg, where she was subsequently diagnosed with a variant of hantavirus.
The third death occurred on May 2, but the exact cause has not yet been confirmed. Only later did hantavirus become a central focus of the investigation.
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Sources: HealthDay, Oceanwide Expeditions, Cleveland Clinic, CDC, and The New York Times.
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