The Foreign Office said it is monitoring reports of hantavirus outbreak aboard the MS Hondius cruise ship.

Here is the ministry statement in full:

“We are closely monitoring reports of a potential hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Hondius and stand ready to support British nationals if needed. We are in touch with the cruise company and local authorities.”

Symptoms of hantavirus vary depending on which syndrome it causes, but both can be severe.

HPS, which affects the lungs, typically begins one to eight weeks after exposure. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches — particularly in the thighs, hips, back and shoulders. These can progress rapidly to breathing difficulties as the lungs fill with fluid.

HFRS, which affects the kidneys, usually develops within one to two weeks of exposure, though in rare cases it can take up to eight weeks. Initial symptoms come on suddenly and include intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea and blurred vision.

The WHO has said the virus requires “careful patient monitoring, support and response.”

Hantavirus is a rare infection passed to humans from rodents — typically through contact with their urine, droppings or saliva, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also spread through a bite or scratch from an infected rodent, though this is uncommon. While rare, the WHO has said it can also spread between people.

The virus causes two distinct syndromes. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, or HPS, is a severe disease affecting the lungs. Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, or HFRS, affects the kidneys. Both can be fatal. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can improve the chances of survival.

The World Health Organisation has confirmed one laboratory case of hantavirus and five suspected cases aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic, with three people dead and one in intensive care in South Africa.

“Of the six affected individuals, three have died and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa,” the WHO said in a statement, adding that medical care was being provided to passengers and crew and that virus sequencing was ongoing.

The WHO said it was facilitating coordination between member states and the ship’s operators for the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as a full public health risk assessment. “Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure to infected rodents’ urine or faeces. While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness,” it said.

Three people have died, and five others have fallen ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.

Two of the dead are a Dutch couple. The man, 70, suddenly developed fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea and died on arrival at the island of St Helena, a British territory in the South Atlantic.

The woman, 69, was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital. A third fatality was still on board, according to a source cited by AFP.

A British national aged 69 is in intensive care in Johannesburg and has tested positive for the virus, local officials said.

The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius, a polar cruise ship run by Oceanwide Expeditions carrying around 150 tourists from various countries. The vessel departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina on 20 March and was due to arrive in Cape Verde on 4 May.