Health officials have started tracing passengers who were on a flight to Johannesburg on April 25 after a woman later tested positive for hantavirus and died.

The World Health Organisation said the adult female had been a close contact of another confirmed case. She went ashore at St Helena on April 24 with gastrointestinal symptoms, then deteriorated during the flight to South Africa the next day.

She died after arriving at an emergency department on April 26. Her infection was confirmed by PCR testing on May 4. The WHO said contact tracing for passengers on the flight has been initiated.

Cruise Ship Linked to Outbreak

The case is linked to an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which had been sailing in the Atlantic Ocean between Argentina and Cape Verde.

The ship was passing South African shores when some passengers developed serious health complications. The outbreak has so far been linked to two deaths.

The first known case involved a 70-year-old man who had travelled in South America, including Argentina, before boarding the cruise ship on April 1. He fell ill unexpectedly and developed symptoms including fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. He died after arriving at St Helena.

His body remains on the island pending repatriation to the Netherlands.

More Suspected Cases Under Review

The second patient was a 69-year-old woman. She later collapsed at OR Tambo International Airport while trying to board a connecting flight back to the Netherlands.

The WHO has confirmed that one critically ill patient is in intensive care in South Africa. Five more suspected infections are also under investigation.

The tracing effort now focuses on identifying people who may have been exposed during the April 25 flight. Officials have not yet released further details on the flight route, passenger numbers or any public instructions for those who may have been onboard.

For now, the confirmed information points to a fast-moving health investigation involving international travel, a cruise ship outbreak and passengers who passed through Johannesburg.