WCV News 24

 3 Dead of Suspected Hantavirus Infections on Cruise Ship, W.H.O. Says

One case of hantavirus infection has been confirmed in a laboratory, the organization said on Sunday. There are five additional suspected cases.

Three people who were aboard a cruise ship sailing the Atlantic Ocean have died of suspected infections of hantavirus, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, referring to a rare family of viruses carried by rodents.

One case of the infection was confirmed in a laboratory, the organization said in a statement. There are five additional suspected cases, it said.

Of the six people infected, three have died and one person was in intensive care in South Africa, it said.

Foster Mohale, a spokesman for the National Department of Health in South Africa, said passengers of an international cruise ship, MV Hondius, were in South African medical facilities “following serious health complications arising from undiagnosed severe acute respiratory infection.”