British news outlets have identified one of the ill patients as a 69-year-old U.K. national, citing South Africa’s Department of Health, while two of the three deaths have been identified as a Dutch couple, the country’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed.
The cruise ship, which left Argentina three weeks ago, was headed to the Canary Islands, but is currently sitting off the coast of Cabo Verde in West Africa, according to the WHO.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P. Kluge said Monday that the agency was “acting with urgency” and “working with the countries involved to support medical care, evacuation, investigations and public health risk assessment.”
But “the risk to the wider public remains low,” he added. “There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”
Hantavirus is usually contracted after coming into contact with infected rodent droppings or urine, and only rarely can it be spread between people.
The Dutch foreign ministry said in a statement that it is looking into the “possibility of medical evacuations for a few passengers.” For now, however, the ship owner is now responsible for their “immediate care.”