A deadly outbreak of the rare hantavirus unfolded over the course of weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean as passengers and crew members fell sick. Information from the cruise operator, health authorities and ship tracking data shows nearly a month passed between when the first passenger fell sick in the South Atlantic and tests in South Africa confirmed that hantavirus was on the ship. Hantavirus is spread by rodents. People can get it through contact with infected rodents’ saliva, urine or droppings. It doesn’t usually spread from person to person, but some health authorities say such transmission could be possible.
