The health condition of a British man who was admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, after falling ill with hantavirus aboard a luxury cruise ship is gradually improving, said Foster Mohale, a spokesperson for the South African Ministry of Health, on Monday (11).
“The British patient is improving clinically, but he is still ill,” spokesman Foster Mohale told Reuters. “This means his condition is improving, gradually.”
The man was evacuated for medical reasons to South Africa on April 27, after developing a fever, shortness of breath, and signs of pneumonia. He disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which had been affected by the hantavirus, on Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Hantaviruses are viruses transmitted by rodents that can infect people and cause illness.
The strain identified on the ship is the Andean hantavirus, which typically circulates in Argentina and Chile. The MV Hondius departed from Argentina and was carrying mainly British, American, and Spanish passengers.
Three people have died since the outbreak began—a Dutch couple and a German citizen.
