Hantavirus Update: Wider Outbreak Feared After One Suspected Case on a Remote Island

A suspected hantavirus case on Tristan da Cunha fuels outbreak fears after five confirmed cases resulted in three deaths.

As public health authorities ramp up contact tracing in the wake of the hantavirus outbreak, another suspected case has been reported on Tristan da Cunha.

Considered 'the world's most remote inhabited island,' it's located halfway between the outermost edges of Africa and South America, somewhere on the South Atlantic Ocean.

Hantavirus Update Adds British National to Suspected Cases

A confirmed passenger of the MV Hondius, the suspected case is a British national who disembarked from the cruise ship in April, during a port stop on the island. None of the British citizens on the ship are exhibiting hantavirus infection symptoms, the UK Health Security Agency reported.

This update has only stoked concerns of a potential international outbreak, with health officials now racing to monitor and contain reported cases. Five hantavirus infections have been confirmed as of Thursday, and three people have died.

The World Health Organisation said three more individuals are being closely monitored. Reports from other countries were noted, but are currently not considered hantavirus cases.

WHO Assesses Outbreak Risk Outside Cruise Ship

The WHO has maintained that the risk of a broader outbreak among the general public remains low as of Tuesday. The majority of the passengers remain aboard the cruise ship, which is expected to dock at Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday.

Authorities believe the outbreak originated from a Dutch couple who were infected during a wildlife expedition at one of the port stops.

Residents of multiple countries, including at least five from the US, are under observation. No hantavirus case has been identified or confirmed in the US at the moment.

'While possible risks to the American public remain low, the CDC has convened leading experts on Andes virus to assist in this effort to ensure Americans are protected. The entire Administration remains vigilant,' White House Spokesman Kush Desai told USA Today.

Why Is the Andean Strain Unique from Other Hantaviruses?

Hantaviruses are a family of rodent-borne viruses that cause severe illnesses in humans worldwide. Transmission occurs primarily through inhaling airborne particles from infected rodents' urine, droppings, or saliva, with rare cases involving bites or contaminated objects.

In the Americas, the infection triggers hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which involves flu-like symptoms that rapidly progress to lung failure and potential death, with a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent.

European and Asian strains often cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, affecting the kidneys and blood vessels.

The Andes virus (ANDV) or 'Andean' strain is prominent in South America, particularly Chile and Argentina. It's unique among other strains because it can spread between humans through close contact. The WHO confirmed the presence of the Andes strain in two MV Hondius passengers on Tuesday.

'So when we say close contact [for human-to-human transmission], we mean very close physical contact, whether it's sharing a bunk room or sharing a cabin, providing medical care, ⁠for example,' Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic management, told Reuters.

The MV Hondius manifest lists passengers from more than 20 countries, the CBC reported. If the same passengers are confirmed healthy when the ship docks at Tenerife, all non-Spanish citizens will be repatriated.