4 Canadians aboard cruise ship facing suspected hantavirus outbreak
· Toronto Sun
The operator of a cruise ship facing a suspected hantavirus outbreak said four Canadians are among the passengers.
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On Monday, Oceanwide Expeditions published a list of the nationalities of people aboard the MV Hondius in a blog post on the company’s website, which listed four passengers who are Canadian.
The Dutch-based company said two crew members are currently requiring medical attention, while reports have said that one other person is in critical condition at a South African hospital and three other passengers have died .
“These crew members are of British and Dutch nationality. At this time, no other persons with symptoms have been identified,” Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Dutch couple, German national have died
The company also said it was in “close contact with those directly involved and their families and is providing support where possible.”
Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — have died and three others have fallen ill aboard the luxury cruise ship that is being held at a chain of islands off the coast of West Africa, according to authorities.
The Hondius , which had 149 people aboard, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, in March, for Cape Verde, making stops in the British islands of South Georgia and St. Helena along the way.
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The World Health Organization said in a statement Sunday that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed with five additional suspected cases.
Hantavirus made headlines last year after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year.
Hackman, who had Alzheimer’s disease, died about a week later at their home from heart disease.
— With files from The Associated Press.