Some human-to-human transmission may have occurred on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak that has left three people dead and several others ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.
“We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out so as a precaution this is what we are assuming,” Dr. Maria Van Kerhove, WHO’s Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, told reporters.
Almost 150 people, including 17 Americans, remain stranded on the MV Hondius that is currently off the coast of West Africa.
This is a developing story and will be updated.