Health authorities have confirmed the presence of the Andes strain of hantavirus among passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship, where a rare outbreak has prompted medical evacuations and ongoing monitoring.

Axar.az reports, citing AP, three people, including the ship’s doctor, have been transferred from the vessel for medical treatment.

The WHO said laboratory testing confirmed the Andes variant in multiple cases linked to the ship. The strain, found primarily in South America, is the only known hantavirus type with documented human-to-human transmission, though such spread remains rare and typically requires close contact.

The three evacuated patients are being flown to the Netherlands for further treatment.

The ship remains off Cape Verde with nearly 150 people onboard as it awaits clearance to continue toward Spain’s Canary Islands.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the evacuations and said the overall public health risk remains low.

Investigations into the outbreak are ongoing, with authorities across multiple countries involved in contact tracing and testing.

Health experts say hantavirus infections can cause severe respiratory and kidney complications, with fatality rates reaching up to 50% in some forms of the disease.

The MV Hondius had departed Argentina in late March and has been under isolation measures since the outbreak was identified.