World2 min(s) read
Published 09:19 06 May 2026 GMT
Two possible causes of hantavirus emerge as three dead following cruise outbreak - one is disgusting, one is horrifying
The deadly hantavirus outbreak, which has killed three people and infected at least seven others aboard a luxury Dutch cruise ship, has two likely causes, one far less dangerous than the other.
Hopefully, for the 150 people on board the MV Hondius, the affected people contracted the virus through the most common way, inhaling the feces, urine, or saliva of infected rats or mice.
However, the World Health Organization insisted that no rodents were found on the vessel.
Another concerning strain of the hantavirus that the WHO said “can’t be ruled out” can be transmitted from person to person.
Physician Zaid Fadul, a former Air Force flight surgeon, said, “The Andes virus — that one specific subtype of the hantavirus — in Argentina, where they were, is the one that’s transmitted person-to-person.
“And that’s where a lot of anxiety in this case is coming from.”
How deadly is the Andes hantavirus strain?
Alarmingly, the Andes hantavirus strain has a mortality rate of 40%, meaning a large portion of the passengers on board the MV Honduis could lose their lives to the deadly virus if it is not contained.
On Tuesday, May 5, the WHO confirmed that the spread of the Andes strain, which was likely contracted before passengers boarded the ship, is the current working theory.
The WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, Maria Van Kerkhove, said, “We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that is happening among the really close contacts.”
How did the disease get onto the ship?
Supporting the theory that the Andes strain is spreading on the ship, the luxury Dutch cruise liner departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on March 20 for a 42-night “Atlantic Odyssey” voyage.
Also, as symptoms of the disease can take up to eight weeks to show, it is possible that the first passenger who died on April 11 contracted the disease before he boarded the ship in Argentina.
Since then, another two passengers have died, one being the wife of the first victim, and authorities are working to evacuate two reportedly very sick passengers.
The ship was refused permission to dock in Cape Verde on Monday and was also refused by the Canary Islands today, over public safety concerns and posing a risk to the population of the small island nations.