A growing global health concern has emerged after 23 passengers from a luxury cruise ship left before doctors could confirm whether they were infected with the deadly Hantavirus. The Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which began its journey from Argentina on April 1, was carrying around 150 passengers and was travelling towards South Africa. During the trip, a Dutch couple fell seriously ill with high fever and vomiting, and one passenger later died. Within a week, three people on board lost their lives, while eight others became sick. Medical tests later confirmed that they were infected with a mutated strain of the Andes virus, a type of Hantavirus.
Hantavirus is usually found in rodents such as rats and spreads through tiny particles from their urine, saliva, or droppings mixed in the air. Humans can get infected by breathing contaminated air or through contact with infected animals. The virus can severely damage the lungs and kidneys. Health officials are now worried because 23 passengers from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Taiwan left the ship before infection checks were completed. This has raised fears that the virus could spread internationally if proper monitoring is not carried out quickly.
