The World Health Organization is searching for more than 80 passengers who were on board an aircraft carrying a Dutch woman infected with hantavirus, who later died in Johannesburg after being transferred there for treatment.
Timeline of events
The 69‑year‑old woman disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius on the island of Saint Helena on 24 April after developing gastrointestinal symptoms. The following day she boarded a flight to South Africa, was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital and died on 26 April. Her 70‑year‑old husband also died on board the ship.
Flight under investigation
On Monday it was confirmed that the woman had been infected with hantavirus. Investigations were launched to trace the passengers of the Airlink flight that departed from Saint Helena on 25 April, carrying 82 passengers and a six‑member crew, according to the airline’s marketing director Karin Murray.
Possible human‑to‑human transmission
The WHO suspects that the virus may have been transmitted from human to human.
Only one flight per week operates between Johannesburg and the remote island of Saint Helena, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with a flight duration of about four hours. South African authorities have asked the airline to notify the passengers so that they can contact the Health Ministry.
Cruise ship departure
According to a WHO spokesperson, the cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to depart Cape Verde in the coming hours, heading either to the Canary Islands or to the Netherlands.
Source: CNA
