90-Second Read: What we don’t know about the Hantavirus outbreak as the cruise ship nears Spanish territory

Countries are preparing to manage 140 people on a Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands. Despite a cruise ship outbreak of a rare rodent-borne illness, global health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because Hantavirus germs do not easily spread between people. Some scientists believe the Andes virus implicated in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and isn't easily transmitted between people. But the World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public from the outbreak is low.

Argentine investigators suspect a Dutch couple may have first contracted the virus while on a bird-watching trip before they boarded the cruise ship in Argentina on April 1. He was the first passenger to die, but it wasn't until May 2 that health authorities first confirmed Hantavirus in a ship passenger. The passengers included a resident of the remote island of Tristan da Cunha who has been hospitalized with symptoms of Hantavirus, according to the British Foreign Office. But no organization has confirmed where or how they acquired the disease. Spanish authorities are preparing to receive the remaining passengers and crew members on Tenerife.

The vessel is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa, early Sunday. Authorities and the cruise operator have been providing updates, but some key information is still lacking. Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions and Dutch officials said Thursday that more than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship at the remote island of St. A flight attendant who had contact with her has tested negative for Hantavirus after reporting symptoms. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

South African and Dutch authorities are trying to trace the whereabouts of anyone who had contact with the woman during her travels. Some governments, like the United Kingdom, have confirmed the whereabouts of their citizens who left the boat. Argentina's Health Ministry has zeroed in on the nation's southernmost town, Ushuaia. Officials plan to travel there in the coming days, according to a written statement to The Associated Press. Officials said Friday that passengers will be evacuated in small boats to buses only once their repatriation flights are ready to take them.