The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a suspected hantavirus outbreak on board the cruise ship MV Hondius. Three deaths have been confirmed: a Dutch national, his wife, and a German national. The ship, carrying 149 passengers of 23 nationalities, has been denied entry to the port of Praia, Cape Verde.

According to information reported by L'Observateur, "one case has been confirmed in a laboratory in South Africa," while five others remain suspected. WHO Europe specifies, however, that the risk of international spread remains, at this stage, "low."

In Senegal, although no cases have been recorded, health authorities have displayed "heightened vigilance." Under the coordination of Dr. Mamadou Ndiaye, Director of Prevention at the Ministry of Health, close monitoring of the situation is being carried out in conjunction with the WHO and the Pasteur Institute of Dakar, according to the daily newspaper of the Futurs Médias Group.

According to the same source, the system relies in particular on rigorous control at maritime borders: "each ship must transmit its health manifest before being allowed to dock", and any vessel coming from a risk zone may be "held in port for thorough checks".

This vigilance is particularly strict at the port of Dakar, given the volume of maritime traffic, the newspaper emphasizes. It explains that hantavirus is a zoonosis, meaning a disease transmitted from animals to humans, most often by rodents through the inhalation of contaminated particles. Transmission between humans is considered "very rare."

The symptoms initially resemble those of the flu, but some forms can progress to serious respiratory or renal complications, sometimes fatal. To date, there is "neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment," making prevention—particularly avoiding contact with rodents—essential.