Health authorities in South Africa confirmed Wednesday they have detected the Andes variant of hantavirus in two individuals who disembarked from a cruise vessel experiencing a disease outbreak, according to a parliamentary briefing by the nation’s health minister.
The cruise vessel MV Hondius received clearance from Spanish authorities to dock at the Canary Islands and was en route to Europe on Wednesday following the approval.
This particular Andes variant is notable because it can transmit between people, unlike the more typical hantavirus strains that primarily infect humans through exposure to contaminated rodents or their waste products and bodily fluids.
