Health authorities in the Western Cape are monitoring four individuals linked to the international hantavirus outbreak connected to the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius.
The monitoring forms part of an expanded contact-tracing operation underway across South Africa following confirmed hantavirus cases associated with travellers arriving from the South Atlantic.
The outbreak aboard the luxury vessel, which travelled from Argentina to Cape Verde, involved 147 passengers and crew members and has already been linked to three deaths.
One of the fatalities involved a female passenger who travelled on an Airlink flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg on 25 April.
Officials said her health deteriorated during the flight and she later died after being admitted to an emergency unit in Johannesburg. Laboratory testing later confirmed hantavirus infection.
Her husband had also reportedly died earlier during the outbreak.
A separate confirmed case involves a 69-year-old British national who was medically evacuated to Johannesburg for intensive care treatment after developing severe symptoms.
Contact tracing expands across South Africa
Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said the four people currently under observation in the Western Cape were identified through tracing efforts linked to passengers who travelled from Saint Helena to Cape Town on 25 April.
Mohale explained that authorities were still awaiting laboratory results and cautioned against drawing conclusions too early because the symptoms resemble several common respiratory illnesses, including Covid-19.
Officials said broader tracing efforts have already identified approximately 50 of the 82 passengers who travelled on the Airlink flight from Saint Helena to Johannesburg.
Ten of those passengers are currently being monitored in Gauteng.
Government says public risk remains low
Despite growing international attention surrounding the outbreak, health officials continue to stress that the broader public risk remains low.
The Department of Health said South Africa is applying a cautious response strategy while using lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic to strengthen monitoring and emergency preparedness.
Mohale said government health teams remain fully prepared to manage potential cases if additional infections are confirmed.
Medical experts have previously noted that the Andes strain of hantavirus involved in the outbreak is one of the few variants capable of limited person-to-person transmission, although such spread remains uncommon and generally requires close contact.
Authorities continue to monitor exposed individuals while awaiting further laboratory results.
Source: Adapted from Department of Health briefings and outbreak reports.
