By Gavin Blackburn.
The Dutch‑flagged MV Hondius has been at the centre of an international health scare since Saturday after it was revealed that the rare disease, generally spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva, was suspected of being behind the deaths of three of its passengers.
WHO operation
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday it was tracing people on a flight between the island of Saint Helena and Johannesburg, taken by one of the passengers who died on the MV Hondius.
A total of 82 passengers and six crew were on board the 25 April flight from the British island in the Atlantic Ocean, South African-based carrier Airlink told the AFP news agency.
They included a Dutch woman whose husband died of the virus on the ship and whose condition “deteriorated during a flight to Johannesburg,” the WHO said in a statement.
She had left the ship in Saint Helena with “gastrointestinal symptoms” on 24 April, flew the next day and died upon arrival at the emergency department of a Johannesburg hospital on 26 April, the WHO said.
On 4 May, tests for hantavirus proved positive.
“Contact tracing for passengers on the flight has been initiated,” the WHO said.
The WHO said it suspected that hantavirus may have spread between people on the cruise ship, which is anchored just off Cape Verde.
Besides the Dutch couple, a German passenger has also died. There are two confirmed and five suspected cases.
Saint Helena, home to around 4,400 people, said passengers from the MV Hondius had come ashore and some people on the remote South Atlantic island were being asked to isolate themselves.
“Two passengers with minor symptoms came ashore and may have had some contact with members of our local community,” the British overseas territory’s government said in a statement.
“While the virus can be serious, no cases of this illness have been identified in St Helena and there is no significant cause for concern on the island at this time.”
The government said a full risk-based contact tracing process was under way to identify and notify such persons.
