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NEW YORK — The World Health Organization said on Friday that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died, in a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, with six confirmed cases and two probable cases.
Here are some details:
- Six of the cases have been confirmed as Andes virus, a type of hantavirus through PCR testing, the WHO said.
- The ship had 147 passengers and crew on board when the outbreak was first reported on May 2, while 34 others had already left the vessel.
- Four patients remain hospitalized in South Africa, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while a suspected case sent to Germany tested negative.
- Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reiterated on Friday that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation with U.S. travelers on board the cruise ship.
- The CDC said it plans to evacuate American passengers aboard the ship on a government medical repatriation flight to Omaha, Nebraska.
- There are 17 U.S. citizens aboard the ship, according to cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
- The ship left Cabo Verde on May 6 and was heading to Spain's Canary Islands, where passengers are expected to disembark.
- The WHO said the risk to the wider global population is low, but the risk to passengers and crew on the ship is moderate.
- The agency said the first case may have been infected before boarding, possibly during travel in Argentina and Chile, with later spread likely occurring on the ship.
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