Four people in the Western Cape, who were linked to the Hantavirus outbreak are being monitored in the Western Cape.
FOUR LINKED TO HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK MONITORED IN WESTERN CAPE
A total of four people, who were linked to the Hantavirus outbreak on a luxury cruise ship are being monitored after being identified through contact tracing, following the potential exposure to the virus. The luxury cruise ship, MV Hondius, was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde, carrying a total of 147 passengers including crew members, had an outbreak of the virus, resulting in three people dying.
One of which, an adult female travelled on Airlink flight 4Z132 from St. Helena Island to Johannesburg on 25 April. Her health began deteriorating on the flight and she died upon arrival at an emergency department in Johannesburg. It was confirmed that she had contacted the Hantavirus. Her husband had also passed away.
A 69-year-old British national who was evacuated to a hospital in Johannesburg for intensive care is also confirmed to have contacted the virus.
Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said that the four people who are being monitored in the Western Cape, are among the passengers who travelled from St Helena Island to Cape Town on 25 April.
“For now, it is too early to conclude that this person has hantavirus because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of COVID-19. We have taken this person for laboratory testing, and we are waiting for the results,” said Mohale.
CONTACT TRACING UNDERWAY
Mohale also said that the Department has traced about 50 of the 82 passengers on the Airlink flight from St Helena Island to Johannesburg. 10 of these passengers are being monitored in Gauteng.
Mohale stated that the government is taking a cautious approach. He added that the broader public remains at low risk for now.
“We are 100% ready. We learned valuable lessons during our response to COVID-19 and in the post-COVID-19 period,” he said.
This comes after South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases identifying the Andes variant of hantavirus, which is capable of spreading between humans.
