Posted on 05/03/2026 12:02:12 PM PDT by BenLurkin
One case of Hantavirus has been confirmed, with five more suspected cases under investigation, it said. One British national is reportedly in intensive care.
The outbreak was reported aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde.
Hantavirus infections are usually linked to environmental exposure, such as contact with urine or faeces from infected rodents, but in rare cases can spread between people, leading to severe respiratory illness.
The MV Hondius is run by Dutch-based tour company Oceanwide Expeditions.
According to an itinerary on the Oceanwide Expeditions website, MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia in Argentina on 20 March and was expected to complete its journey on 4 May in Cape Verde.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, MV Hondius is a 107.6m (353ft) long polar cruise ship, with space for 170 people in 80 cabins.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Cruise ships are floating petri dishes.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death.
These viruses cause diseases like hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
They are spread mainly by rodents and are not spread from person-to-person. Well at least I wouldn’t have needed to avoid people, just rodents.
This happened on a new ship—built in 2019
M/V Hondius | Jetsetter Guide
Delivered in May 2019, M/V Hondius holds distinction as the first passenger ship registered with Polar Class 6 certification, enabling operations in challenging ice conditions while setting new environmental standards with LED lighting, biodegradable lubricants, and state-of-the-art power management.
I’ve been on 26 cruises so far (not including the Navy). They may be but so are a lot of places people attend.
Gene Hackman’s wife died from hantvirus.
I thought it was mainly a desert and high-elevation disease, but I guess I was wrong.
“They may be but so are a lot of places people attend.”
Sure, but on shore there are better medical facilities. Days waiting can be very dangerous or detrimental.
Not really.....I’ve been on 124 cruises....you might get a CABIN COUGH...like a dog getting Kennel Cough....but it goes away.
Oh....and only go on higher quality cruise ships.
Cruise ships have MULTIPLE DOCTORS, NURSES and great equipment!! I took a VERY bad fall, and was VERY WELL taken care of!!!
For physical trauma, I am sure they are very capable. For infectious disease control and treatment (emergency medicine) they have shown to be lacking in every case onboard cruise ships.
One of my neighbors caught Hantavirus during a camping trip in the Mojave Desert.
It started out like the flu. By the time she went to the hospital and docs figured out that it was Hantavirus she was critically ill and she died from it. She was maybe 30 years old and very athletic.
I doubt that they could have done anything extra to save her even if they had known that it was Hantavirus. It progresses very quickly and the mortality rate is around 50%.
One of my neighbors caught Hantavirus during a camping trip in the Mojave Desert.
It started out like the flu. By the time she went to the hospital and docs figured out that it was Hantavirus she was critically ill and she died from it. She was maybe 30 years old and very athletic.
I doubt that they could have done anything extra to save her even if they had known that it was Hantavirus. It progresses very quickly and the mortality rate is around 50%.
I have had my fill of cruises aboard a destroyer.
Gain of function Hanta virus.
It ‘s what killed Gene Hackman’s wife and led to his own death.
Who knows? Bio-warfare might be just around the corner.
How many cruises have you been on??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.