Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship leads to evacuations and quarantine
Three passengers with suspected hantavirus have been evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship off Cape Verde, with health officials noting the virus's long incubation period could mean more infections develop among the 150 people aboard.
Evacuation Underway
Three people who may have contracted hantavirus on a cruise ship were evacuated and are on their way to the Netherlands for care, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
A cruise ship with nearly 150 people aboard was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean after three passengers died in a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus.
Quarantine and Incubation Concerns
Because symptoms of the virus can take from two to eight weeks to develop, it's possible more of the 150 passengers aboard the cruise ship could be infected.
Passengers aboard the ship are in good spirits but may have to quarantine for "eight weeks," a World Health Organization official told CBS News.
Transmission Questions
World Health Organization: Hantavirus on cruise ship may show human-to-human transmission as 3 passengers are evacuated.