Two of the passengers on board the cruise ship, which became a hantavirus hotspot, were transferred to Johannesburg; one has died, and the other is still hospitalized. "Initial tests show that it is indeed the Andean strain. It is the only strain, among the 38 known, capable of being transmitted from one person to another."Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi explained.
"But as we have already said, and we wish to repeat, this transmission is very rare and only occurs in cases of very close contact between people."he added.
The search for potential contact cases
Efforts are underway to trace potential contacts of the two infected individuals. This includes, in particular, passengers on the flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg taken by the 69-year-old Dutch woman whose 70-year-old husband died on the ship and who has since passed away herself.
This flight operated by the South African company Airlink on April 25 had 82 passengers and six crew members on board, a company representative told AFP.
Other people are also being sought, the Health Minister specified on Wednesday, such as those "who were at the airport (in Johannesburg) before this woman fell ill" as well as the "Kempton Park healthcare staff", the hospital where she was treated until her death.
Read alsoWhat is the hantavirus infection that reportedly killed three people on a cruise ship?
Three deaths linked to a hantavirus outbreak
As for the 69-year-old British man currently hospitalized in Johannesburg, if he had not been evacuated by a commercial flight, "Healthcare professionals have also been in contact with him."the minister stated. "In total, 62 people may have come into contact with these individuals; 42 of them have already been located and are currently under surveillance." he explained.
The WHO reported on Sunday three deaths linked to an outbreak of hantavirus infection, which can cause acute respiratory syndrome, on the MV Hondius.
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