Countries Try to Find Cruise Passengers After a Virus Outbreak
Several countries are searching for people who left a cruise ship before officials learned about a deadly hantavirus outbreak on board.
Health officials in different countries are trying to find cruise passengers after a deadly virus outbreak on a ship.
The outbreak happened on the MV Hondius. Three people died: a Dutch couple and a German passenger. The World Health Organization said several other people may also have been infected.
The problem became more serious because some passengers left the ship earlier during a stop before the outbreak was officially reported. Officials say around 40 people got off in Saint Helena, and the location of many of them is still not known.
Authorities are now doing contact tracing. That means they are trying to learn where those passengers traveled and whether they were close to other people after leaving the ship.
The virus involved is the Andean strain of hantavirus. Experts say it can spread between people only through very close contact, and they stress that this is rare. Even so, governments are being careful because the outbreak has already caused deaths.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is watching the situation closely for American travelers who were on the ship. Other governments in Europe and South America are also taking steps.
The ship is expected to arrive in Spain, and passengers from different countries may then be sent home. Some Spanish passengers are expected to be quarantined.
So the situation is not only a ship problem anymore. It has become an international public health effort to track people quickly and prevent more infections.