Get you up to speed: Three dead from hantavirus outbreak aboard MV Hondius in Atlantic Ocean
Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius, which was travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. The ship is now sailing towards Spain’s Canary Islands after officials in Cape Verde refused to allow passengers to disembark.
Three people have died from hantavirus on the MV Hondius, which is now heading towards Spain’s Canary Islands, as confirmed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from WHO stated that while this situation is serious, the overall risk to the general public remains low.
The MV Hondius is now sailing towards Spain’s Canary Islands after being refused permission to disembark in Cape Verde. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed five cases of hantavirus related to the outbreak on the cruise ship, with three additional suspected cases.
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Football manager Ralph Hasenhüttl was diagnosed with hantavirus in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images)
Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean — and previous sufferers have shared their scary experiences with the infection.
The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1 and was scheduled to make its final stop in Cape Verde after a 33-day cruise. However, officials in the West African nation refused to allow passengers to disembark.
After three days anchored off the archipelago, the ship is now sailing towards Spain’s Canary Islands.
Now, former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl has opened up about his terrifying battle with hantavirus in 2012, revealing that the near-fatal ordeal caused his organs to expand and his heart rate to plummet.
However, Hasenhüttl, who was around 44 at the time, didn’t catch the virus in an exotic location. He actually caught it at home, sweeping his terrace.
Speaking to The Mirror, Hasenhüttl said that at first he confused his symptoms with exhaustion, having recently returned from a mountain bike ride during a training camp.
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A hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius has led to three deaths (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Unbeknownst to him, his body was actually showing signs he had contracted hantavirus.
He said: ‘I went to bed and that’s when the pain in my head started. It felt like there was a needle in my head. Then I started to notice severe back pain. It felt like there was a knife in my back.’
Hasenhüttl said that doctors later found the virus was causing his liver and kidneys to rapidly expand and press against his other organs, causing the back pain.
He spent two weeks in intensive care, but even after he was released, the ordeal was not over. The former manager said he was ‘out for such a long time’ after contracting the disease.
‘My heartbeat would wake me up because of how intense it was; I would just feel this thud in my chest,’ he added.
Hasenhüttl said the virus caused his organs to expand (Picture: Neil Baynes/Getty Images)
Hasenhüttl also noted that his weight fluctuated, causing his kidneys to weaken.
He described recovery as a ‘waiting game,’ adding that he tried to ‘push away from bad thoughts’ because he felt young, healthy and strong.
‘I thought, ‘Why should I die from a virus?’
Finally, Hasenhüttl said that doctors found the source of the infection.
‘I was cleaning the terrace without a mask, and I think I inhaled the dust,’ he said. ‘It takes about two to three weeks until it breaks out and symptoms show.’
Previous sufferers share their experience
A handful of other people have spoken about their experiences of hantavirus.
Canadian Lorne Warburton was admitted to the hospital in 2023 and put on life support after contracting the disease. Speaking to BBC Outside Source, he described the sickness as ‘torture’ and ‘hell on Earth.’
Having started with ‘COVID-type symptoms, body aches, a chronic headache and fatigue,’ things soon escalated, and Warburton became ‘drenched in sweat and couldn’t breathe.’
The MV Hondius is on its way to the Canary Islands(Picture: Emin Yogurtcuoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Warburton said: ‘The degree of illness and sickness that I went through was hell on earth, it was torture, to go through that and to be able to bounce back.’
Thankfully, after three weeks in hospital, he made a full recovery.
In 2019, Christian Ege from Germany was also diagnosed with hantavirus. Like Warbuton, he developed COVID-like symptoms that felt like a ‘strange flu.’
For three days, Ege suffered from stomach flu, vomiting, and dizziness before a blood test confirmed he had kidney failure and sepsis. Ege was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he spent days in the ICU with a neck catheter for dialysis access.
Ege told the BBC: ‘The kidneys recovered normally, but it was the coincidence of a bacterial and a viral escalation at the same time that was a bit worrying for a couple of days for sure.’
Civil Guard officers and local policemen are preparing for the ship to dock in the Canaries (Picture: EPA)
In the days since the MV Hondius outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed five cases of the virus, with three more suspected. A third British national connected with the ship has ‘suspected hantavirus’, it was revealed today.
In a press conference earlier this week, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the UN Health Agency, stated that, though this is ‘not the next COVID,’ it’s still a ‘serious infection.’
She continued: ‘The risk to the general public is low… I really just want to assure people, this is something quite different.’
What is hantavirus?
The World Health Organisation describes hantaviruses as a ‘group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.’
It states that people typically get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
Hantavirus infections can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and even death, as we’ve sadly seen on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
WHO adds that hantavirus has a history of manifesting in different ways, depending on geographical location.
The World Health Organisation has confirmed five cases of illness (Picture: REUTERS)
In the Americas, infection ‘has been known to lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.’
In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses ‘have been known to cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels.’
What are the symptoms of hantavirus?
WHO notes that hantavirus symptoms in humans usually begin between one and eight weeks after exposure.
However, the timeline depends on the type of virus the individual has been infected with.
Still, typical symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.
Depending on the virus type, there are other symptoms to look out for, too.
MV Hondius was travelling to Cape Verde from Argentina (Picture: AP)
Those suffering from HCPS may develop a cough and shortness of breath due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs.
In HFRS patients, later stages of infection can include low blood pressure, bleeding disorders and kidney failure.
Unfortunately, hantavirus can be difficult to diagnose early, as many of the symptoms are also present in other common febrile (having or showing the symptoms of a fever) or respiratory illnesses.
According to WHO, this includes influenza, COVID-19, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue or sepsis.
Hantavirus treatment
The government website states that currently there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infections.
Rather, treatment is ‘supportive and based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.’
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