This is just terrible.

Three cruise ship passengers are dead after an outbreak of a rare virus called Hantavirus.

In addition, five other people onboard the ship are suspected to have caught the virus.

One of these patients is currently fighting for their life in a South African hospital.

The deadly outbreak happened on the MV Hondius ship, which is operated by Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions.

This voyage set sail from Argentina, and the passengers fell ill while sailing along the coast of Africa.

The New York Post reported further:

One case of hantavirus was confirmed in the first victim, with five other suspected cases still pending, the World Health Organization told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

The first victim, a 70-year-old man, suffered a fatal hemorrhagic fever on board the ship. His 69-year-old wife died not long after at a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, the outlet reported.

The third fatality was also on board the ship, the outlet reported.

A 69-year-old British passenger is now in intensive care at the Johannesburg hospital, the BBC reported.

What an awful way to die.

Please pray for the families of the three people who passed away, as well as for all the other passengers on that cruise ship.

Pray that the sick make a full recovery.

Hantavirus is rare in humans.

It is spread by rodents and has a roughly 35-38% fatality rate.

Three confirmed dead as hanta virus breaks out on cruise ship.

The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde, the World Health Organization (WHO) told BBC.

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure, such as contact with urine or faeces from infected rodents. In rare cases, the virus can spread between people and lead to severe respiratory illness.

Sky News provided further coverage here:

 

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

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