The outbreak is tied to the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, which sailed from Argentina to Cape Verde. Some of the ship's 147 passengers later travelled through South Africa. Health agencies are monitoring people who had contact with the ship.
On 13 May the WHO said 11 cases had been reported, including three deaths. Eight cases are confirmed as hantavirus, two are probable and one is inconclusive pending more tests. The virus involved is the Andes strain, found mainly in South America. WHO says person-to-person spread can happen but usually needs close, long contact, so overall risk is low.
Difficult words
- outbreak — sudden start of disease among many people
- monitor — watch people or data over timemonitoring
- confirm — say something is true after checkingconfirmed
- probable — likely but not completely certain
- inconclusive — not giving a clear result or decision
- strain — type or version of a virus or bacteria
- spread — movement of disease between people
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- If you had contact with someone from the ship, what would you do?
- Would you be worried to travel after this news? Why or why not?
- Do you think the risk from the virus is low or high? Why?
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