As experts race against time to contain a growing hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, a fourth suspected case has been reported.
According to officials, the latest victim, who has been identified as a British man, was a passenger on the virus-hit luxury cruise and is now on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha.
Four others confirmed to be infected, two Britons, a Dutch and a Swiss national, are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands, South Africa and Switzerland, and a fifth case is suspected, according to the World Health Organization. Those figures do not include the suspected case on Tristan da, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the hantavirus outbreak as a 'level 3' emergency response, the lowest level of emergency activation.
Two Indian crew members are also among the 149 people aboard the Atlantic cruise ship, which departed from Argentina last month and is headed to Spain's Canary Islands.
Most passengers onboard were from Great Britain, the United States, Germany and Spain. The crew members were mostly from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Poland.
WHO lists early symptoms of Hantavirus:
In a move to increase awareness about hantavirus, WHO listed the early symptoms, so that people can look out for. According to experts, people infected with hantavirus will notice that the symptoms usually begin one to eight weeks after exposure.
Look out for signs like:
Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Stomach pain
Nausea
Vomiting
For more information, consult a health expert.