Cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak leaves British tourist in ICU

The South African Department of Health has confirmed that a British man is being treated in a Johannesburg hospital after contracting hantavirus aboard a ship, which killed three other passengers. A British national is in a Johannesburg hospital after contracting hantavirus aboard a ship that has already claimed three lives. According to Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale, the passenger fell ill while sailing between St Helena and Ascension.

“Despite medical treatment provided to him at Ascension, his condition did not improve and necessitated his medical evacuation to a South African private health facility in Sandton for further medical management. “His laboratory test results came back positive for hantavirus – a rare but potentially deadly virus transmitted primarily by rodents. The patient is still in critical condition in isolation but receiving medical attention,” Mohale said.

“While the ship was travelling past South African shores, some of the passengers experienced serious health complications arising from what was initially considered severe acute respiratory infections,” said Mohale. Authorities have moved quickly to trace anyone who may have come into contact with infected passengers. Despite growing concern over the outbreak, officials are urging calm, insisting the risk to the South African public remains low as investigations continue into the deaths and illnesses linked to the cruise ship’s voyage.

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The first case involved a 70-year-old male passenger who fell ill unexpectedly while the ship was travelling from Ushuaia to St Helena Island. He developed symptoms including fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and sadly died upon arrival at St Helena. His body remains on the island pending repatriation to the Netherlands.

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