The World Health Organization is calling on passengers aboard a South Africa flight to contact health authorities following the death of a Dutch woman from Hantavirus

The World Health Organization is calling on passengers aboard a South Africa flight to contact health authorities following the death of a Dutch woman from Hantavirus(Image: AP)

The World Health Organization is calling on passengers aboard a South African flight to contact health authorities following the death of a Dutch woman from Hantavirus.

The woman had left the cruise ship Hondius in St. Helena and taken an Airlink flight to Johannesburg after falling ill. According to the WHO, her condition deteriorated during the flight.

She was quickly taken to a hospital in Johannesburg upon landing, where she tested positive for Hantavirus. Her husband had died earlier on the ship from the same virus. The woman's name was not publicly revealed.

During a news briefing, a WHO doctor, Marie Roseline Belizaire, said at least 69 people could have come in contact with the woman carrying the virus. Tracing efforts are now underway in Europe and Africa, as well as on St. Helena, following the arrival of sick passengers from the cruise ship.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed hantavirus cases from cruise ship has risen to 5, including 2 passengers evacuated Wednesday. The ship, which remains at the center of the deadly outbreak, remained off Cape Verde with nearly 150 people on board waiting to head to Spain's Canary Islands.

During a news briefing, a WHO doctor, Marie Roseline Belizaire, said at least 69 people could have come in contact with the woman carrying the virus(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Three people have died, and one body remained on the ship, according to the WHO. Eight cases have been recorded in total, three of which have been confirmed by laboratory testing.

Hantavirus is a rare, rodent-borne illness that usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings.

Two unnamed Argentine officials with knowledge of the matter said the government has launched an investigation into the outbreak's origins, and their leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus while bird-watching in Ushuaia before boarding. The officials were granted anonymity because they were not yet authorized to speak to the media.

They said the couple visited a landfill during the tour and may have been exposed to rodents. Interestingly, authorities have previously said Ushuaia and the surrounding Tierra del Fuego province had never recorded a hantavirus case.

Samples of the virus taken by WHO officials confirmed to be the Andes strain of hantavirus. The organization says this strain is found in South America, primarily in Argentina and Chile, and can spread between people, though that is rare and only through close contact.

Hantavirus is a rare, rodent-borne illness that usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Remaining passengers to be evacuated to Canary Islands

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the remaining passengers of the Hondius vessel would be evacuated to Spain's Canary Islands, an announcement that took the regional president by surprise. The ship is expected to arrive on May 9.

Fernando Clavijo, the regional president of the island, said he was surprised that the passengers were being forced to "travel for three days" rather than fly home from the airport in Praia.

He also complained that central authorities in Madrid had not informed him of the details of the circumstances on board the vessel, a situation that limited local health officials' ability to prepare for its arrival.

"We still don't know the status of all the passengers," he said. "There is no protocol for this."

Despite his concerns, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said the arrival of the boat "won't represent any risk for the public."

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the remaining passengers of the Hondius vessel would be evacuated to Spain's Canary Islands(Image: AP)

She said that the boat will arrive at a secondary port on the island of Tenerife, which is located 10 minutes from the airport. From there, the roughly 140 passengers will be repatriated to their home countries.

The operation to send the passengers and crew home will be overseen by the European Union's civil protection program. 14 Spaniards aboard the ship will be flown to the mainland by military planes, and if necessary, they will be kept in quarantine.

Is hantavirus the next Covid?

According to the Associated Press, the public risk following the hantavirus outbreak is low, and the Andes variant is known, even if the WHO has never seen a hantavirus outbreak on a ship.

“This is not the next Covid, but it is a serious infectious disease,” epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”

However, for those on the ship, access to clinical care is important because infected people can develop severe acute respiratory distress and need oxygen or mechanical ventilation. The hantavirus incubation period is one to six weeks.