Written by: Qusay Ahmed

The World Health Organization has announced the deaths of three people on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Cape Verde, suspected to be an outbreak site for the virus. HantaIt is a disease that can cause acute respiratory syndrome.

Hantavirus: Between reality and panic

The head of Cape Verde's National Institute of Public Health, Maria da Luz Lima, said that authorities did not grant the ship permission to dock in the port of the capital, Praia, confirming that a medical team boarded it to assess two infected cases using personal protective equipment, and that additional interventions were later carried out to provide medical care to some patients.

For his part, the World Health Organization's director for Europe, Hans Kluge, explained that the incident represents a low risk of spread, stressing that there is no reason to panic or impose travel restrictions, as Hantavirus infection is rare and is usually associated with exposure to infected rodents and is not easily transmitted between humans.

He confirmed that the organization is working with the countries concerned to support medical care, evacuation, and investigations.

The ship, which can accommodate about 170 passengers and has a crew of 70, was seen docked in Praia port on Monday morning.

The owning company, Oceanwide Expeditions, a Dutch company specializing in polar expeditions, confirmed that it was facing a serious medical situation, and later announced the death of three people, including a Dutch couple aged 70 and 69, one of whom died on board the ship and the other in a hospital in Johannesburg, while the nationality of the third victim is not yet known.

The company also noted that a British passenger was in intensive care in South Africa, in addition to two other cases requiring urgent care.

She confirmed that the Dutch authorities are considering the possibility of organizing a joint operation to evacuate patients from Cape Verde to the Netherlands, in coordination with local authorities.

The company explained that the Hantavirus was confirmed in the patient in intensive care, but it has not yet been proven to be the cause of the three deaths, and investigations are ongoing to determine the link. The World Health Organization had stated that there was one confirmed case and five suspected cases, emphasizing that the virus, although rare, can cause serious respiratory illnesses requiring close monitoring and specialized medical care.