A New Zealander is on board a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean where three people have died and others have been sickened by a suspected hantavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said in a statement to 1News it was in contact with a New Zealander aboard the MV Hondius. They had not requested consular assistance.
The ship, travelling from Argentina, was currently anchored off the coast of Cape Verde with 149 people from 23 countries on board.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch cruise company which operates the vessel, said the number of confirmed hantavirus cases connected to the outbreak onboard had risen to two.
Two MV Hondius crew members, one British and one Dutch, continued to present with acute respiratory symptoms and required urgent medical attention.
One had mild symptoms, the other had severe, it said, without specifying further.
"At this time, no other persons with symptoms have been identified," the company said.
"Dutch authorities are actively preparing a medical evacuation of the two symptomatic individuals along with an individual associated with [a German guest] that passed away on May 2."
Hantavirus is mainly spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings, particularly when the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, posing risk of inhalation.
People are typically exposed to hantavirus around their homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning out enclosed spaces with little ventilation or exploring areas where there are mouse droppings.
Hantavirus can cause a severe and often deadly respiratory illness called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, died of the illness last year.
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