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Almost 150 people, including 17 Americans, are stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of West Africa, after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the vessel killed at least three people and left several others ill.

The MV Hondius, operated by tour company Oceanwide Expeditions, left Ushuaia, Argentina, last month on a journey through remote parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, several passengers became sick with a rapidly progressing respiratory illness, the company said.

Seven cases of the rare rodent-borne hantavirus have been identified so far, including two confirmed cases and five suspected cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.

The vessel with 149 people on board is currently anchored off Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off the west coast of Africa, after being refused entry to the port.

There is no plan yet for disembarking the remaining crew and passengers, with Oceanwide Expeditions saying they are considering sailing on to Spain’s Canary Islands.

Hantavirus can cause a severe and often deadly respiratory illness called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, last year.

Humans most commonly become infected through contact with rodents such as rats and mice, especially with their urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Just one type of hantavirus, the Andes virus, is known to be able to transmit from person to person, but it is rare. It is primarily found in Chile and Argentina, where the ship originated.

Still, health authorities emphasized that the outbreak does not represent a public health threat. “There is no need for panic or travel restrictions,” said Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe.

Here’s what we know about the outbreak on the ship.

Where had the ship been?

The MV Hondius first left Ushuaia in Argentina over a month ago. According to the MarineTraffic ship-tracking site, the Dutch-flagged passenger cruise ship made stops in Antarctica before returning to Ushuaia for a night and leaving again on April 1. It then stopped at the British overseas territory of Saint Helena before anchoring Sunday off Praia, MarineTraffic said.

Along the way, passengers visited some of the world’s most remote islands, where they would have seen much wildlife, including whales, dolphins, penguins, and seabirds, according to the trip’s itinerary.

When it reached Praia, the vessel was not authorized to dock at the port, with Cape Verde’s Health Ministry citing a need to protect the country’s public health. Authorities there sent staff to visit the ship and assess the situation.

What do we know about the victims?

The first suspected case was a 70-year-old Dutchman, who suddenly fell ill on the ship with a fever, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, South Africa’s Health Department told CNN. He died on board on April 11 after going into respiratory distress, WHO said.

The man’s wife, who was 69 years old and also Dutch, was taken to South Africa but collapsed at an airport while trying to fly home to the Netherlands and died at a nearby hospital on April 26. She tested positive for a variant of hantavirus, Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed Monday.

“The beautiful journey they experienced together was abruptly and permanently cut short,” the couple’s family said in a statement sent to CNN by Dutch charity Namens de Familie, which supports people receiving media attention after personal tragedy.

“We are still unable to comprehend that we have lost them. We wish to bring them home and commemorate them in peace and privacy,” they said.

After the ship left Saint Helena, a British national onboard fell sick on April 27. He is now in a critical condition at private medical facility in Johannesburg, the company said. He is the second confirmed hantavirus case.

CNN has reached out to the British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

On May 2, a German national died on board the MV Hondius. While her cause of death has not yet been established, it is being treated as a suspected case.

And two crew members — one British and one Dutch national — are currently experiencing acute respiratory symptoms, requiring urgent care, Oceanwide Expeditions said. Hantavirus has not been confirmed in either case.

What happens next?

Dutch authorities are actively preparing to evacuate the two symptomatic crew members and an individual associated with the passenger that passed away on May 2, the tour operator said.

The evacuation will involve two specialized aircraft equipped with medical equipment and staffed by trained medical crews. It’s not yet clear when this will take place.

“Sailing on to Las Palmas or Tenerife is being considered, where further medical screening and handling could take place, organized and supervised by the WHO and Dutch health services,” the company said, confirming that passengers will not disembark in Cape Verde.

Strict health and safety procedures are currently in place on the ship, including isolation measures, hygiene protocols, and medical monitoring. The company said the atmosphere “remains calm” and that passengers were “generally composed.”

One passenger, travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin, spoke of the fear and uncertainty percolating through the ship on Monday.

“What’s happening right now is very real for all of us here. We’re not just a story. We’re not just headlines,” he said in a video posted on Instagram, his voice cracking with emotion.

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Seven cases of the rare rodent-borne hantavirus have been identified

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