Hantavirus, spread by rats, has created concern at the global level. This virus spread from a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Three people died due to this virus. After the Covid epidemic, WHO held a press briefing on Thursday regarding this virus. WHO said that the risk to the general public is low because this virus does not spread easily between people.

When did the first case appear?
The first case of hantavirus was reported on May 2, aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, carrying approximately 150 tourists from several countries, when a sick passenger disembarked from the ship was tested. Before this, three other passengers on board the ship died within a span of a few days.

Which 3 people died?
The first death was that of a 70-year-old Dutch citizen, who was reported on April 6. This incident occurred four days after the ship departed from Ushuaia, Argentina. The Dutch citizen complained of fever, headache and mild diarrhea on the flight. According to WHO, before boarding the plane the man and his wife, also a Dutch citizen, had gone on a sightseeing tour in Ushuaia. Apart from this, he also visited many places in Argentina and Chile. His wife also died on April 26 in South Africa after fainting while boarding another flight.

According to the ship operator, the man’s body was disembarked from the ship on April 24 off the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. Where 29 other passengers including his wife had also disembarked. The third deceased was a German woman, who died on the ship about a month after the first passenger fell ill.

directly affected countries
Argentina- The passengers boarded the ship from Ushuaia. St. Helena- The cruise ship had stopped there, so officials are investigating the people who came in contact. South Africa- Infected passengers were admitted to hospital there. Cape Verde – cruise route destination. Netherlands- The ship operator is Dutch and the two dead passengers were also residents of here. United Kingdom (Britain) – Saint Helena is a British territory and the infection has been confirmed in the investigation of a British patient.

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WHO released the list
The World Health Organization has also released the list of countries whose citizens had landed in St. Helena. These include Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, America, Argentina, St. Helena, South Africa, Cape Verde, Netherlands.

Where did the virus spread from?
However, the United Nations health agency has said that this outbreak is not the beginning of an epidemic. Argentine health officials said on Thursday that they have not yet been able to find out where the virus spread. The three deaths have sparked international concern, but health officials have described the rat-borne virus as posing little threat globally because it is less contagious than COVID-19.

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