By MOLLY QUELL, SUMAN NAISHADHAM, ISABEL DEBRE and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press
Oceanwide Expeditions has revealed that 30 passengers disembarked from its cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak on April 24. They left the ship on the remote island of St. Helena, nearly two weeks after the first passenger died. The company had previously said that a Dutch man's body was removed there, and that his wife also disembarked. She later died in South Africa. Authorities across four continents are tracing contacts of passengers who left the ship. Three passengers have died in the outbreak, and several others are sick. Argentina's Health Ministry tells The Associated Press that a team of investigators has yet to leave for the southern town they suspect is where a Dutch couple contracted the virus.
By ANNIE RISEMBERG, MISPER APAWU, ALEKSANDAR FURTULA and ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press
The U.N. health agency says two patients with hantavirus and one suspected of infection were evacuated from a cruise ship at the center of a deadly outbreak. Two of the patients arrived at Amsterdam's airport Wednesday evening and were driven off in ambulances. The ship departed from Cape Verde and headed to Spain's Canary Islands. The World Health Organization says eight cases have been recorded, with five confirmed by lab tests. Three people have died. Two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak say the government's leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing before boarding.
By CHINEDU ASADU and ANNIE RISEMBERG Associated Press
Footage obtained by The Associated Press of a cruise ship in a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and medical teams in protective gear as the vessel and its nearly 150 passengers and crew waited another day for help off West Africa. Officials say three passengers have died, and at least four people are sick. Authorities say the outbreak involves hantavirus, which usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. Two cases are confirmed. Passengers are isolating in cabins. The vessel is in the Atlantic off Cape Verde. Officials say it plans to move to Spain's Canary Islands after medical evacuations. But Spanish officials said earlier Tuesday that they haven't made a decision.
A new U.N. AIDS agency report says the sudden withdrawal of U.S. funding has caused a "systemic shock" to the global effort against AIDS and HIV. Years of American-led investment into AIDS programs has reduced the number of people killed by the disease to the lowest levels in more than three decades. U.S. aid has also bought lifesaving medicines for some of the world's most vulnerable people and rolled out testing and prevention services across Africa. The UNAIDS report released Thursday says if U.S. funding is not replaced it could lead to more than 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million more HIV infections by 2029.
Measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest in more than three decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has 1,288 cases since the beginning of the year. That's higher than 2019, when there 1,274 cases driven by 22 outbreaks over 12 months. Eighteen states have seen outbreaks this year. Experts fear the U.S. may lose its status as having eliminated measles. There are also large outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease in Mexico and Canada.
