An outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome has occurred aboard a cruise ship traveling from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Cape Verde , resulting in the deaths of two passengers , a spokesperson for the South African Ministry of Health told AFP today.

The outbreak occurred aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. A third passenger, a 69-year-old British citizen, who was evacuated and later hospitalized in Johannesburg, tested positive for hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, according to South African spokesperson Foster Mohale.

"WHO is aware of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome aboard a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic. Investigations and a coordinated international public health response are underway," the World Health Organization said in Geneva, without providing details on the number of victims.

Hantavirus diseases, as stated on the Ministry of Health website, " are viral infections of varying severity, transmitted to humans by wild and domestic rodents. The hantavirus genus includes several dozen viral species globally. Some species are present in Europe, where they are expanding into new areas and increasing in established endemic areas. In Europe, hantavirus diseases are spreading both in terms of the number of cases and the number of infected areas."

Furthermore, it is explained, "infection occurs through direct contact with feces, saliva, or urine of infected rodents, or by inhaling the virus through rodent excrement. Hantavirus diseases can be characterized by renal involvement (nephritis) and hemorrhages, or by a pulmonary syndrome. These are acute diseases in which the vascular endothelium is damaged, resulting in increased vascular permeability, hypotension, hemorrhagic manifestations, and shock."

(Unioneonline)

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