GENEVA -- The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Sunday evening that three people had died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, with at least one of them confirmed as the victim of hantavirus.

In a statement to Xinhua, the WHO said it is supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. To date, one case of hantavirus infection has been laboratory confirmed, and there are five additional suspected cases. Three of the six affected individuals have died, and one is currently in intensive care in South Africa.

The agency said detailed investigations are going on, including further laboratory testing and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing, it added.

Hantavirus infections are typically linked to environmental exposure (exposure to infected rodents' urine or faeces). While rare, hantavirus may spread between people, and can lead to severe respiratory illness, requiring careful patient monitoring, support and response.

WHO is facilitating coordination between member states and the ship's operators for the medical evacuation of two symptomatic passengers, as well as full public health risk assessment and support to the remaining passengers on board.

According to earlier reports, South Africa's National Department of Health confirmed that two people have died from an acute respiratory infection on board a cruise ship known as MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean.

Previous reports said MV Hondius was sailing from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde when it experienced a "severe acute respiratory illness," resulting in the deaths of an elderly couple and another person receiving treatment in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg, South Africa.