Spain has identified two new hantavirus cases amid the ongoing investigation into the outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius. Reuters reported the development.
According to the agency, one of the infected individuals is a British citizen living on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. He reportedly became ill after disembarking from the Hondius while the vessel was near the island in mid-April.
The second case was recorded in Spain. A 32-year-old woman from the province of Alicante developed symptoms of hantavirus infection after a flight. Reuters reports that during the journey she spent some time seated two rows behind a Dutch passenger who became infected aboard the cruise ship and later died in hospital.
The distance between the two new cases exceeds 1,000 kilometers.
It was previously reported that the virus had begun spreading beyond the ship as passengers from the MV Hondius dispersed across different countries following the evacuation and the end of the cruise.