The MV Hondius, a cruise ship that departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, is now the center of a hantavirus outbreak with no precedent in such a setting. Three passengers have died, and seven others are ill, according to reports.
The ship is currently anchored off Cape Verde, and passengers remain unable to disembark. The World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating the international response to the crisis.
The suspected cause of the outbreak is hantavirus, a rodent-borne pathogen that has no cure and no approved vaccine. Hantavirus is not typically associated with cruise ships, making this outbreak particularly unusual.
Notably, authorities in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina—the province from which the ship departed—have confirmed that no hantavirus cases have ever been recorded there. However, the WHO notes that the virus is endemic in other regions of Argentina and Chile.
The MV Hondius was on a voyage that included transiting Antarctica and the island of St. Helena before the outbreak was detected. The ship’s itinerary and the origin of the virus remain under investigation.
Related articles
PSA Screening Significantly Lowers Prostate Cancer Death Risk, Cochrane Review Confirms
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood testing is likely to reduce the risk of death from prostate cancer, found a new review published on Thursday by...
Ballmaxxing: The Dangerous Testicle Enhancement Trend You Need to Know About
Experts say that “Ballmaxxing” may lead to permanent damage. Image Credit: Heathline/Paloma Rincon Studio/GettyImages Ballmaxxing is the latest social...
STAT Unveils 'The Deadliest Drug' Investigation: Alcohol-Related Deaths Surpass 178,000 Annually in the U.S.
Dear Readers, I want to bring your attention to “The Deadliest Drug,” a new STAT investigative series about our nation’s failure to address excessive...
CDC to Relocate 160+ Monkeys to Sanctuary in Bid to End Animal Testing
As part of efforts to phase out the use of monkeys in research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intends to transfer more than 160 macaq...
Who Will Lead the FDA Next? The Search for a New Commissioner Heats Up
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to...
Study Links High Air Pollution to Increased Post-Surgical Complications on Utah’s Wasatch Front
New research on Utah’s Wasatch Front—which occasionally experiences the worst air quality in the nation—has found an association between high air poll...
Three Years of Declining Overdose Deaths: Cautious Optimism and Lingering Concerns
Get your daily dose of health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. Good morning. STAT’s Helen Branswel...
Republican States Expand Medicaid Reporting to Target Immigrants for Deportation
Several states have joined President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts and are taking federal reporting requirements to immigration authorities a ste...