Dutch officials reported that approximately 40 passengers aboard a cruise ship struck by an outbreak of the deadly Hanta virus have disembarked on Saint Helena Island.
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The island, a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic, is one of the most remote islands in the world, situated about 1,900 kilometers from the western coast of Africa.
Officials and experts in Argentina are currently investigating whether their country was the source of the Hanta virus outbreak that swept through the transatlantic cruise ship.
The health emergency aboard the vessel, the MV Hondius, which is currently anchored at sea, comes as Argentina experiences a surge in Hanta virus cases. Many local public health researchers attribute this spike to the recently accelerated effects of climate change.
Argentina, from where the cruise to Antarctica originated, is consistently ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having the highest prevalence rate of this rare, rodent-borne disease in Latin America.
Experts state that rising temperatures are expanding the virus's reach, as climate change and heat lead to ecosystem shifts that allow virus-carrying rodents to thrive in more regions.
The MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health scare since Saturday, when the WHO was notified of the deaths of three passengers due to a suspected Hanta virus infection.
The ship set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1st, and has been anchored off Cabo Verde since Sunday while emergency teams attempt to manage the situation.
