4 Canadians Aboard Cruise Ship Affected by Fatal Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak

Four Canadians are included among the 149 passengers on a luxury cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean where a rodent-borne illness is suspected of causing the deaths of three passengers and sickening others. Seven cases of hantavirus have been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) onboard an Oceanwide Expeditions vessel moored off the coast of Cape Verde in western Africa. Two of the seven cases have been laboratory confirmed, and the remaining five are also suspected to be caused by the virus, the WHO said in a May 4 statement. A Dutch couple and a German national have died and one critically ill patient is in the intensive care unit in Johannesburg, the WHO said. The organization said three additional individuals are reporting mild symptoms. None of the Canadian passengers appear to be among the sick.