The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that the most likely source of the hantavirus infection aboard a cruise ship currently off the coast of Cape Verde was outside the vessel itself. This outbreak has tragically resulted in three deaths, while 147 people remain on board the Dutch ship Hondius.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Prevention, explained that the virus’s incubation period—which typically lasts between one and six weeks—strongly suggests that the initial contamination occurred before the passengers boarded.
Read more about this topic: Hondius cruise ship isolated in Cape Verde: 3 more suspect cases after confirmed deaths (with video)
However, the organization did not rule out limited human interaction as a secondary factor. Van Kerkhove noted that the WHO believes “person-to-person” transmission may have occurred between passengers who were in very close contact.
Despite the fatalities associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome, the situation is currently described as “under control” by Ann Lindstrand, the WHO representative in Cape Verde. Health authorities continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew as they investigate the specific origin of the exposure.
