O.M.G. This isn’t what anyone wants to hear!
There’s currently a cruise ship named MV Hondius stranded near Cape Verde. It was set to go on a big expedition from Argentina to Antarctica, but it’s hit a major roadblock just a few weeks into its travels after THREE passengers have died and several more have grown ill from a possible hantavirus outbreak. WTF!
Hantavirus is a potentially fatal disease typically passed through infected rodent feces or urine. It’s the same thing that killed Gene Hackman‘s wife! But, um, in this case, it’s hard to tell if it’s really rodents passing it along…
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The latest update from the World Health Organization states that of the 147 passengers and crew on the ship, 7 have become sick (including the three who have already passed away). One person is critically ill and three others have mild symptoms. If anyone’s following this closely, that’s one more sick person than last we heard! Uh, oh… So far, two cases have been lab tested and confirmed to be hantavirus. The rest are still under investigation.
WHO thinks “the risk to the global population from this event [is] low.” But that’s based on “the current information,” including how the disease generally spreads. But what if this is not such a typical version of the virus??
While it’s true that in most cases this virus is spread through rodent droppings — meaning it would be incredibly difficult to get infected on the ship, which does not have an infestation problem — this hasn’t always been the case. As experts have pointed out, there is one strain of this virus that is believed to be spread from human to human!
Dr. Tyler Evans, founder and CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, told Newsweek on Tuesday:
“The Andes virus, which circulates in Chile and Argentina, is the only hantavirus documented to transmit from person to person, and it is rare. The Hondius left from Ushuaia, in Argentine Patagonia, which is squarely within that virus’ range. That geography matters. It is the most plausible explanation for what we are seeing, and it is also the reason this outbreak should not cause panic among people who have no connection to that part of the world.”
Y’all, that’s concerning AF for anyone on that ship!!!
WHO has even agreed that human-to-human transmission may have occurred on the ship, specifically among the patients who have had close contact with one another (such as the husband and wife or people who shared cabins), they announced in a press conference on Tuesday. Hear more:
Yikes!
The virus usually begins with mild, flu-like symptoms. It can take up to six weeks (or longer) for initial symptoms to show, which is one reason it’s so difficult to determine where this virus may have originated. It also means more people on the ship could be infected and not know it yet. It remains unclear exactly how or where people were infected.
The ship’s operator, OceanWide Expeditions, has announced that the two ill crew members and a person associated with the guest who died on Saturday will be evacuated from the ship. Then, the ship will travel to the Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock as investigations continue.
We wish everyone on that ship all the best. This is a very scary situation! Our condolences to all those who have lost a loved one.
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