Share to ClassroomHantavirus Kills Three on Cruise Ship
Three people have died on a cruise ship near the Cape Verde islands. The ship is called the MV Hondius. Doctors think the disease is hantavirus. This rare illness comes from mice and rats. The ship was sailing from Argentina to Antarctica.
Hantavirus spreads when people breathe in small particles from rodents. These particles come from rodent urine, saliva, or droppings. The first symptoms feel like the flu. But the disease can be very serious. Sometimes the lungs fill with water.
One of the people who died was a 70-year-old Dutch man. His wife died later in South Africa. Health workers are now looking for other sick people. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the risk to most people is low.
