Two cases of hantavirus which spreads human-to-human linked to ship, South Africa says

JOHANNESBURG, May 6 (Reuters) - ​South Africa has identified the Andes strain of hantavirus, which ​spreads human-to-human, ‌in two people who came off a cruise ⁠ship hit by an outbreak of ⁠the disease, the health ​minister's presentation to parliament showed on Wednesday.

The ship, the MV Hondius, was preparing to travel from ​Cape Verde ‌towards Europe on Wednesday after the Spanish government gave permission for it to dock in the Canary Islands.

The presentation seen by Reuters ​said tests done by South Africa's National Institute for ‌Communicable Diseases (NICD) revealed that the Andes strain was the cause of infection ‌in a Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg, and a British man who is still in hospital. Both ​had become ill on the ship.

"This is the only ‌strain that is known to cause human to human transmission, but such transmission is very rare ⁠and ⁠as said earlier, only happens due ‌to very close contact," it said.

Other strains of hantavirus are ​more ​commonly transmitted to humans through contact with ‌infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. (Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Tim Cocks and Andrew Heavens)