A rare and potentially concerning development has emerged from the ongoing hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic cruise ship, where at least three people have died and several others have fallen ill.

According to a recent update by South African authorities, the rare Andes strain of hantavirus, the only one capable of human-to-human transmission, has been confirmed in a passenger evacuated to South Africa from the Atlantic cruise MV Hondius.

Three people have died, including a Dutch couple. In a statement made to a South African parliament committee, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi noted, "such transmission is very rare and only happens due to very close contact".

Authorities are now tracing nearly 90 people from a commercial flight, the airport, and the hospital to prevent further spread. Motsoaledi emphasized the urgency: "We need to know who were the people who were in contact with this lady".

An earlier update from the World Health Organization (WHO), revealed that their investigators are also examining the possibility that human-to-human transmission may have occurred, a phenomenon considered extremely uncommon for hantavirus infections.

The outbreak, linked to the expedition vessel MV Hondius sailing between Argentina and Cape Verde, has prompted a coordinated international response involving multiple countries.

While hantaviruses are typically transmitted to humans through exposure to infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, this cluster has raised questions about whether a rare strain capable of limited human transmission may be involved.

Early findings suggest that the Andes virus strain, known to circulate in South America, could be responsible, one of the only hantavirus variants ever linked to person-to-person spread. 

Source:Ndtv