(Image source from: AFP)
The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that it was looking into individuals who traveled on a flight linking the island of Saint Helena with Johannesburg. This flight was taken by a cruise ship traveler who passed away due to hantavirus. According to the South African airline Airlink, there were 82 passengers and six crew members aboard the flight on April 25 from the British island located in the Atlantic Ocean. Among those was a Dutch woman whose husband died from the virus on the ship and her health "worsened during the flight to Johannesburg," as stated by the WHO. She had left the ship in Saint Helena with "stomach issues" on April 24, flew the following day, and died upon reaching the emergency room of a Johannesburg hospital on April 26, the WHO reported. On May 4, tests confirmed the presence of hantavirus. "We have begun tracing contacts of those on the flight," stated the WHO.
Airlink provides one flight weekly from the island, lasting about four hours and 45 minutes. The South African authorities requested that the airline inform passengers to get in touch with the health department, as noted by representative Karin Murray to AFP. The WHO believed that hantavirus might have spread among individuals on the cruise ship, which was anchored near Cape Verde on Tuesday. In addition to the Dutch couple, a German passenger has also died. There are two confirmed cases and five suspected cases. Saint Helena, with around 4,400 residents living closely together, reported that passengers from the MV Hondius had disembarked, and some locals were being advised to isolate themselves. "Two passengers showing mild symptoms came ashore and might have interacted with members of our community," the government of the British overseas territory said in a statement.
"Although the virus can be severe, no instances of this illness have been found in St Helena, and there is no major reason for concern on the island at this moment. " A small group of individuals who traveled to St Helena on the MV Hondius or had very close interactions with those displaying symptoms are being recommended by Public Health to self-isolate as a precaution. The government mentioned that a thorough risk-based contact tracing procedure is currently in progress to identify and inform these individuals.
