The World Health Organization reports a third passenger has died and another is infected with hantavirus aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition ship Hondius. The newest patient, a male, is being treated in a Zurich hospital after returning from the voyage and responding to an email from the ship's operator.
The ship sailed from Argentina and is currently moored off the coast of Cabo Verde. Three of 147 passengers have died since crossing the Atlantic.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed three patients were evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment, and the overall public health risk remains low.
The UN agency says victims may have been infected before boarding. Eight cases have been reported, with three confirmed as Andes hantavirus by lab tests. One person remains in intensive care in South Africa, though improving.
The Hondius, built in Croatia and launched in 2018, can carry 196 passengers and 72 crew. It is named after 17th-century mapmaker Jodocus Hondius.
Once the ship reaches the Canary Islands, Spanish authorities will conduct a full epidemiological investigation and disinfection. Passengers have been asked to remain in their cabins as a precaution.