“A Dutch cruise ship with nearly 150 people aboard, including 17 Americans, was waiting for help off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after a suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus killed three passengers and left at least three others seriously ill”

“Studies indicate hantaviruses have been around for centuries, with outbreaks documented in Asia and Europe.”

“It wasn’t until the early 1990s that a previously unknown group of hantaviruses emerged in the southwestern United States as the cause of an acute respiratory disease now known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.”

“The disease gained attention last year after late actor Gene Hackman ’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a hantavirus infection in New Mexico.”

“The WHO says that while it rarely happens, hantaviruses can also spread directly between people.”

“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region – the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.”

“Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually show between one to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent.”