Three dead, one in intensive care, from a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius
Developing…
Per Brave AI:
“In May 2026, a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius traveling from Argentina to Cape Verde resulted in three deaths and one person in intensive care. The first fatality, a 70-year-old passenger, died on board and his body was transferred to Saint Helena.
A second victim, his 69-year-old wife, was evacuated to South Africa, where she died in a Johannesburg hospital. A third passenger, a 69-year-old British national, remains in intensive care in Johannesburg, while five other cases are under investigation. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed one laboratory-confirmed case of hantavirus, a disease typically spread through contact with rodent urine or droppings.
Hantavirus is a family of rodent-borne viruses that can cause severe, potentially fatal illnesses in humans, primarily hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia. These viruses are spread mainly through the inhalation of aerosolized particles from infected rodents’ urine, droppings, or saliva, rather than through person-to-person contact.
In the United States, HPS is the most common syndrome, caused largely by the Sin Nombre virus carried by deer mice. Early symptoms mimic the flu, including fever, muscle aches, and fatigue, but the disease can rapidly progress to severe respiratory distress and lung fluid buildup. Approximately 38% of people who develop respiratory symptoms from HPS die from the disease, though there is no specific antiviral treatment; care is supportive, focusing on breathing and fluid balance.
The most significant historical event was the 1993 Four Corners outbreak in the southwestern United States, which led to the discovery of the Sin Nombre virus and resulted in 13 deaths; this epidemic was driven by an El Niño-induced surge in rodent populations.
Other notable outbreaks and trends include:
2012 Yosemite National Park outbreak: Identified as the largest outbreak in the U.S. since 1993.
Andes virus epidemics: Sporadic instances of person-to-person transmission have occurred in Argentina and Chile, raising concerns about the virus’s potential for human-to-human spread, unlike other strains.
Ongoing Cases: Hantavirus remains endemic across the Americas, with sporadic cases reported in states like California, New Mexico, and Colorado, often linked to rodent exposure.
Globally, hantavirus causes approximately 200,000 cases annually, with case fatality rates ranging from 5-15% for Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in Asia and Europe, to 35-60% for Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in the Americas.
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omgosh...the bs never ends..
Or could be something else. Cruise ships are notorious for bacterial diseases