The record and deadly cruise ship hantavirus outbreak, explained
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An unprecedented outbreak of hantavirus has rocked a luxury cruise ship off the coast of West Africa, triggering a tsunami of news stories and a flood of post-pandemic anxiety.
Key facts
The 2018–2019 outbreak with 34 cases in the southern Chubut province of Argentina was fueled primarily by three superspreader events
The Dutch-flagged ship, MV Hondius, which began its journey from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, is still carrying 147 passengers and crew
Meanwhile, authorities are tracking down and monitoring 30 former passengers who disembarked the ship onto the remote island of St
The situation evokes chilling memories of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Diamond Princess nightmare, in which over 700 people were infected with the never-before-seen virus
Summary
So far, eight cases have been reported, including three people who have died. With the ship en route, experts assembled by the World Health Organization are now racing to create a novel step-by-step procedure to allow the remaining passengers and crew on board to disembark safely. The situation evokes chilling memories of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Diamond Princess nightmare, in which over 700 people were infected with the never-before-seen virus while locked down on a luxury cruise ship docked in Japan. But in the wake of discovering the hantavirus aboard the Hondius, health officials and infectious disease experts have been quick—and virtually unanimous—in trying to quell fears.