Three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization (WHO) has told the BBC.
One case has been confirmed, with five suspected cases under investigation, it said. One British national aged 69 is in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hantavirus is usually passed to humans from rodents via their urine or faeces. It can cause severe respiratory illness. Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.
That’s true for any virus. But if I’m to believe that “Rarely, it can be transmitted between people.”, it sounds like it’s one of the better viruses to have in an enclosed environment. Just avoid rats and stay in your room.
Just the point that three people have died from an infection transferred by rats tells a horrible tale about the hygienic state of the ship. I don’t think that you see rats as a passenger on a normal cruise ship. That several people got close enough to those rats to get infected is not a good sign.
I would assume the rodents got close enough to the food, rather
Not just rodents, but their feces, IIRC. Which are very small and might not be immediately noticed if not in the open.