MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak grows as eighth case is confirmed
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 9
MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak grows as eighth case is confirmed
11 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 9
A flight attendant who briefly interacted with a passenger was hospitalised on 7 May, while the Dutch cruise ship headed for Spain after evacuating three ill passengers.
The WHO had confirmed seven infections and three deaths by 4 May; officials are now tracking 29 people who left the ship on 24 April and monitoring residents in three US states.
Investigators suspect initial exposure in Argentina or Chile from infected rodents, followed by possible person-to-person spread of Andes virus aboard, though health authorities say the wider public risk remains low.
How did a rare rodent virus learn to jump between humans for the first time on a modern cruise ship?
Could climate change be unleashing more deadly viruses from the wild into our global travel routes?