1 Japanese Aboard Cruise Ship Hit by Hantavirus Outbreak

Paris, May 5 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese is among the passengers of the MV Hondius, a cruise ship on which a hantavirus outbreak occurred during a voyage in the Atlantic Ocean, the operator of the vessel said Monday.

A total of about 150 passengers and crew members are aboard the ship, according to the operator.

Three of the passengers have died. While two crew members are complaining of illness, no one else on board is showing signs of infection, the ship operator said.

Two people, including a dead passenger, were confirmed to have been infected with the hantavirus, which is transmitted by rodents such as rats. Infection is suspected for four other people.

Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, said: "The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]