The MV Hondius cruise ship had a recent hantavirus outbreak. The cruise ship left Argentina and traveled on a South Atlantic Nature Expedition. There were a total of 122 guests on the MV Hondius cruise ship. By the end of the cruise, there were eight suspected hantavirus cases and three fatalities that the World Health Organization confirmed. The guests evacuated the ship and were advised by the World Health Organization that a 42-day quarantine would be beneficial to help limit the spread of this outbreak; this was merely recommended, not mandated. Regardless, the World Health Organization has deemed this outbreak a low risk to the general public. 

Hantavirus, or orthohantavirus, comes from rats and mice. This illness can be contracted by humans when they come into contact with rat or mouse droppings, saliva, or urine. Hantavirus is very rare, but is also very deadly; there is no current cure or treatment plan for those who are infected. The World Health Organization has confirmed that the Andes strain of hantavirus is responsible for the cruise ship outbreak. This specific strain has a two to eight week incubation period, which means that the disease can remain dormant in your system for a long time before you begin to experience symptoms. Even though the virus is not presenting itself, it’s still contagious during the incubation period. In order to contract the hantavirus, someone needs to be in prolonged contact with it. 

To contain the outbreak, authorities are trying to track down the 30 people who disembarked the cruise ship at Saint Helena before the outbreak was recognized. 16 guests from the ship have returned to their homes in Nebraska, and another two guests have returned to Atlanta. One of the guests, who is now in Nebraska, has tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus. 

Naturally, people around the world are worried that this will be the next COVID-19 and that there will be another pandemic or quarantine. The World Health Organization, as well as the Global Health Agency, has assured the general public that this whole outbreak poses a very low risk to the public, mainly because the hantavirus does not spread easily. Trump has also spoken on the matter and stated that the United States has it under control. They have also advised that, in order for people to control the spread and prevent contracting the disease in their own homes, people should practice rodent control by placing mouse traps or spraying an anti-rodent spray around the home. 

Even though all of the guests on the MV Hondius cruise ship have been evacuated, the general public still remains at a low risk for contracting the hantavirus. The WHO and the Global Health Agency are encouraging people to take preventative measures, like rodent control, to prevent the spread of the hantavirus. Authorities are advising the public not to panic and to focus on staying clean and healthy amidst the outbreak.