A Dutch cruise ship is stranded off Cape Verde after an outbreak of hantavirus left three passengers dead and one critically ill. The World Health Organization confirmed on May 6 that cases aboard the MV Hondius, a polar expedition vessel that set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, involve the Andes strain of the virus. It is the first recorded cruise ship-linked hantavirus outbreak.
Eight cases have been identified, three confirmed by lab testing. A newly identified patient in Switzerland, who disembarked in late April, was the latest addition to the case count. The ship’s remaining passengers are confined to their cabins.
@skynews 'Not the next Covid.' Maria Van Kerkhove, World Health Organisation epidemiologist, has moved to play down concerns Hantavirus could spread like Covid-19 #Hantavirus #Covid-19
♬ original sound – Sky News
How Hantavirus Spreads and Who Is at Risk
Hantavirus is a family of viruses carried by rodents. Humans get infected through contact with infected rodent urine, feces, or saliva, often when contaminated particles become airborne during cleaning or when people disturb rodent nesting areas. In rare cases, a bite can also transmit the virus.
In the Americas, the virus causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung illness. In Europe and Asia, it more commonly causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which targets the kidneys and blood vessels.
The Andes strain, confirmed in the cruise ship outbreak, is the only known hantavirus with documented human-to-human transmission. That spread is rare and linked to very close contact: sharing a bed, a cabin, or prolonged proximity during the early infectious phase. Researchers estimate the transmission window is roughly one day, peaking when a person first develops a fever. Unlike COVID-19, it does not linger in the air after an infected person leaves a room.
Hantavirus Symptoms: What to Watch For
Early symptoms appear one to eight weeks after exposure and are easy to mistake for flu. Fever, headache, muscle aches in the thighs, hips, and back, along with nausea and fatigue are the typical first signs.
Four to ten days later, the illness can turn serious. Coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness set in as the lungs fill with fluid. Around 38 percent of people who reach this respiratory stage may die, according to the CDC.
In the cruise ship outbreak, passengers moved from fever and gastrointestinal symptoms to rapid-onset pneumonia and, in some cases, cardiovascular collapse. There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for hantavirus. Doctors rely on supportive care, including oxygen therapy and blood pressure management, to help severe cases survive.
@bbcnews Two people in a serious condition who were evacuated from a Hantavirus-hit cruise ship have arrived in the Netherlands for treatment, operator Oceanwide Expeditions has said. #Hantavirus #Amsterdam #CruiseShip #Netherlands #MVHondius #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
Is the Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak a Global Threat
No. WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, addressed this directly: “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease. Most people will never be exposed to this.” WHO currently rates the global public risk from this outbreak as low.
Between 10,000 and 100,000 hantavirus infections are estimated to occur worldwide each year, the vast majority in Asia and Europe. In the Americas, only 150 to 300 cases are typically reported annually.
Prevention is straightforward. Avoid contact with wild rodents. Seal entry points in your home. Never sweep or vacuum rodent droppings without proper protection. If you have recently traveled through South America and develop flu-like symptoms, tell your doctor and mention any possible rodent exposure.
The MV Hondius investigation is ongoing. WHO and international health authorities are sequencing the full genome of the virus to determine whether mutations are present and to trace the outbreak’s origin.
Stay safe and take necessary precautions!
