More than 100 people stranded on cruise ship after deadly hantavirus outbreak. Here’s what we know | CNN

Almost 150 people, including 17 Americans, are stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of west Africa, after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the vessel killed at least three people and left several others ill. The MV Hondius, operated by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, left Ushuaia, Argentina last month on a journey through remote parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, several passengers became sick with a rapidly progressing respiratory illness, the company said. Seven cases of the rare rodent-borne hantavirus have been identified so far, including two confirmed cases and five suspected cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. The vessel with 149 people on board is currently anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off the west coast of Africa, after being refused entry to the port. There is no plan yet for disembarking the remaining crew and passengers, with Oceanwide Expeditions saying they are considering sailing on to Spain’s Canary Islands. What is hantavirus and how does it spread? Hantavirus can cause a severe and often deadly respiratory illness called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which killed Betsy Arakawa, the wi