FILE - View of the ocean, with waves of the open water from a boat. Getty Images
A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has killed three people and sickened others, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
Here’s what’s known about the developing situation:
Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak
What we know:
The World Health Organization said three people were dead and at least three others were sickened in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. One person was currently in intensive care in South Africa.
One case of hantavirus had been confirmed in a laboratory, and the others are additional suspected cases, according to WHO.
An investigation was underway.
What we don't know:
The cruise ship involved wasn’t named, and officials didn’t give details yet about the victims.
It also wasn’t clear how the virus originated.
What they're saying:
WHO posted the information on social media:
Dig deeper:
South African authorities told the BBC the first person to show virus symptoms was a 70-year-old passenger who died on board. His wife also became ill on board and was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital.
South African media reports said the outbreak happened on the MV Hondius cruise ship while it was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa, The Associated Press reported.
RELATED: Crew member on Norwegian cruise ship falls overboard near Cape Cod
What is hantavirus?
Big picture view:
Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with urine or feces of infected rodents, most often rats or mice.
While rare, WHO said they can be spread between people and they can lead to severe respiratory illness.
Previously:
Hantavirus was in the news after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year. Hackman died a week later at their home.
RELATED: Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa cause of death revealed
The Source: Information in this article was taken from The World Health Organization and South African authorities, as reported by The Associated Press, the BBC and The New York Times. This story was reported from Detroit.