The number of possible infected passengers on the cruise rises to seven, including three deaths, one patient in critical condition, and three people with mild symptoms, according to the WHO. This is the route and sequence of events followed by the MV Hondius cruise affected by a hantavirus outbreak:
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April 1
The MV Hondius departs from Ushuaia
The MV Hondius cruise ship set sail from Ushuaia (Argentina) on a route that planned to visit Antarctica and several Atlantic islands. The cruise where the outbreak occurred offered an expedition trip and several participants were engaged in bird watching and other wildlife-related activities.
April 11
The first passenger dies
The first person to die on board was a 70-year-old Dutch man, when the ship was heading to Saint Helena. The man developed symptoms of fever, headache, and mild diarrhea on April 6 and died on the 11th after suffering respiratory difficulties. His body was removed from the ship on Saint Helena Island on April 24.
April 24
The deceased passenger’s wife is flown to Johannesburg
The second fatality was the wife of the Dutch man, aged 69. She fell ill on board the ship and disembarked at Saint Helena, where she was flown to Johannesburg (South Africa).
April 26
The woman dies in Johannesburg
On April 25, the woman was supposed to take a connecting flight to the Netherlands, but she collapsed at Johannesburg airport and died in a nearby hospital on April 26.
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April 27
A second sick man is flown to the hospital
The third case was a British man who fell ill on board after departing from Saint Helena. He disembarked on Ascension Island, where he received treatment and was evacuated to a hospital in South Africa on April 27, where he was diagnosed with hantavirus infection. This was the first case in which the virus was detected. The patient remains hospitalized and isolated; he is in critical but stable condition in the ICU of a hospital in Johannesburg.
May 2
A third person dies
The fourth case corresponds to a German woman who died on board the ship on May 2, after showing symptoms five days earlier. So far, the cause of death has not been determined.
May 3
The ship arrives in Cape Verde and three people with symptoms are detected
So far, three other suspected cases have been reported who have presented fever and/or gastrointestinal symptoms and remain on board the ship, which is anchored off the coast of Cape Verde. Medical teams in Cape Verde are evaluating the patients and collecting samples for analysis, according to the WHO.
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