A deadly suspected outbreak of the Hantavirus has broken out aboard the Antarctic Luxury Cruise Ship, resulting in the death of three people.
The virus first made the headlines after it killed Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa.
Global health officials and the cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, are now investigating this matter in detail and working to contain the illnesses suspected to have been brought on by the rodent-borne illness aboard the MV Hondius. This was a Dutch-flagged ship, as per the WHO.
On Monday, the WHO mentioned how the luxury ship carrying 147 people and crew had two laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases of hantavirus. The three deaths are included in that total.
The cruise ship happened to be on a 46-day-long journey that traveled from Antarctica with stops in Argentina. It has remained off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean. The WHO mentioned how they planned to medically evacuate two people with suspected infections.