One patient is believed to be in intensive care at a private facility in Sandton, with one of the confirmed victims dying in Johannesburg.
Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
Three people have died, and one is being treated in intensive care after the outbreak of a rare zoonotic virus on a cruise liner.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Sunday evening that a total of six cases of Hantavirus had been reported from a cruise liner in the Atlantic Ocean.
A Johannesburg hospital is reportedly treating one patient, with another patient dying in South Africa while being transferred to Europe.
Hantavirus is contracted through exposure to the bodily fluids and excrement of rats and mice.
“Hantavirus infections are zoonotic viruses typically transmitted to humans via infected rodents,” The Lancet stated.
Patient in Sandton
The WHO stated that one case had been laboratory confirmed, with the other five remaining suspected cases.
The cruise liner was reportedly travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. The crew and passengers are being monitored, with the two symptomatic individuals being prepared for medical evacuation.
“Of the six affected individuals, three have died, and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.
“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations,” the WHO stated.
The Department of Health (DoH) confirmed that a patient was transferred from a hospital on the mid-Atlantic island of Ascension to a private facility in Sandton.
The DoH added that one of the victims died on arrival in St Helena, with his 69-year-old wife dying in Johannesburg while en route back to the Netherlands.
A third death occurred on board the ship, with all three of the deceased being Dutch nationals.
A British passenger is currently in ICU in Johannesburg.
“The department is working with the National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Gauteng Health Department authorities to conduct contact tracing to stop potential spread of the virus by identifying and monitoring individuals who may have been exposed to the infected persons,” officials confirmed on Monday.
Choice of hospital
DoH spokesperson Foster Mohale later explained that the transportation and hospitalisation of the patients was privately sourced.
“The choice of hospital was facilitated by the health insurance provider for the patients. Even the transportation of the patients from the island to South Africa was facilitated by the insurers,” Mohale told The Citizen.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that Hantavirus can cause one of two syndromes: haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
“Hantaviruses can infect and cause serious disease in people worldwide. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice.
“HPS is a severe and potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs. HFRS is a severe and sometimes deadly disease that affects the kidneys,” according to the CDC.
Early symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue are easily confused with influenza.
