Deadly ‘rat virus’ reaches Europe as cruise outbreak spreads

Swiss case sparks alarm as stricken ship heads for Canary Islands

A deadly outbreak of Hantavirus aboard a luxury expedition cruise has now reached mainland Europe, after a passenger who left the vessel early fell ill in Zurich — triggering fresh concern over how far the crisis could spread.

Swiss health authorities confirmed the man is being treated in isolation at University Hospital of Zurich after developing symptoms days after returning home. His wife, though currently asymptomatic, has also been isolated as a precaution while officials trace any potential contacts.

Outbreak linked to cruise ship stranded at sea

The case is tied to the MV Hondius, which has been anchored off Cape Verde after authorities refused it permission to dock amid fears of contagion. The ship has become the centre of an escalating international health scare after at least three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill.

The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had been carrying passengers from multiple countries following a voyage that began in South America. Since the outbreak emerged, passengers have been confined to cabins while medical teams in protective gear move through largely deserted decks.

Canary Islands clash with Madrid over docking

The crisis is now colliding with politics in Spain, where the regional leader of the Canary Islands has openly challenged the central government’s decision to allow the to dock.

Fernando Clavijo has demanded urgent talks with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, warning that insufficient information has been provided to guarantee public safety. He has insisted he “cannot allow” the ship to enter the islands without clearer assurances.

Despite the Spanish authorities — citing guidance from the World Health Organization — say the Canary Islands are the nearest location with the medical capacity to handle the situation. The ship is expected to arrive within days, where passengers will be screened and repatriated.

Evacuations underway as condition worsens

Emergency evacuations have already begun. Two seriously ill crew members are being transferred for urgent care, including a British doctor who is expected to be airlifted directly to the Canaries. Another patient is being routed via Cape Verde to the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, earlier cases linked to the ship have already spread across continents. One passenger died after flying from a remote Atlantic island to Johannesburg, prompting contact tracing for fellow airline passengers.

A virus with high fatality but limited spread

Hantavirus, typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, is rare but severe — with mortality rates that can approach 40 percent in serious cases. Early symptoms resemble flu, including fever, fatigue, and muscle pain, but can rapidly escalate.

Health officials stress that the virus is not generally transmitted person-to-person, which significantly limits the risk of widespread outbreaks. Even so, the nature of cruise travel — combined with delayed symptom onset — complicates containment efforts.

Global tracing effort intensifies

Authorities across multiple countries are now racing to track passengers and contacts who may have been exposed, with some individuals only expected to develop symptoms weeks after leaving the ship.

Governments, including the UK under Keir Starmer, have said contingency plans are being prepared to safely return affected nationals, while emphasising that the broader public risk remains low.

A contained outbreak — or a widening crisis?

For now, officials insist the situation is manageable. But the spread from a single जहाज़ to multiple continents — and the political tensions over where it should dock — underline how quickly a contained health incident can become an international flashpoint.

As the MV Hondius edges closer to Europe, the coming days will determine whether this remains a tightly controlled outbreak — or something far harder to contain.

SOURCE

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

Edited May 6May 6 by SunnyinBangrak

3 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

Its now reached France in a patient who wasn't on the ship, and the ship hasn't gotten to the Canaries yet. And yes, this strain is a human to human transmission variant from the Andes

Your conspiratorial <deleted> can just <deleted> off. I was very busy with epidemics in 2012 2014, 2018 and 2020. You <deleted> are already trying to <deleted> politicise this before the dead are even cold, just for forum reaction. Disgusting indivdual.

I'll never forgive nor forget you type. Your lot and your <deleted> cavalier behaviour killed my Gran.

Edited May 6May 6 by Roadsternut

It's what killed Gene Hackmans wife last year.

It kills a few dozen people in the US each year.

A different version occasionally pops up in Europe.

Its been known since the 1950's.

Probably the only other person at risk from the infected Swiss guy is his wife because it requires close contact between humans to transmit.

But of course it could mutate.

7 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

This is just a breath takingly stupid thing to post, even for you

The kontrol freaks are just itching to lock down the world again.

PREPARE

It's always cruise ships, are the passengers all constantly swapping partners or are the staff just incredibly dirty and careless when preparing food?

It's always cruise ships, are the passengers all constantly swapping partners or are the staff just incredibly dirty and careless when preparing food?

Probably happens on airplanes, too. But the passengers aren't on them long enough to develop symptoms.

I've never gotten hantavirus (knock wood), but I have gotten sick as a dog a couple of days after a flight. Had I been on a cruise, I'd have turned myself into the onboard clinic.

41 minutes ago, impulse said:

Probably happens on airplanes, too. But the passengers aren't on them long enough to develop symptoms.

I've never gotten hantavirus (knock wood), but I have gotten sick as a dog a couple of days after a flight. Had I been on a cruise, I'd have turned myself into the onboard clinic.

The sick person who was airlifted was the onboard doctor...

6 hours ago, Cave Johnson said:

This is just a breath takingly stupid thing to post, even for you

Now you know how we felt for the last 5 years. Nobody expects the left to apologize for their mendacity and lets face it, sheer evil behavior. Wasnt it a mosquito that bit a bat in a cave then flew 2,000 miles to bite pangolin that bit somebody at some wetmarket opposite their man Fauci GOF lab? Groan...🤣

Edited May 7May 7 by SunnyinBangrak

14 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

14 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

14 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Imagine if it turned out gain of Fauci had a lab on the boat to weaponize rat hanta-viruses and make it transmissable by humans, and the left worldwide tried to gaslight us into believing it was a natural occurrence and banning everyone from the web and firing them from work for stating the bleedin obvious.

Remember what the left did to us? Never forgive, never forget.

Good luck to all the souls on that boat. From what I can gather this virus kills in a horrifying way.

Imagine if you wouldn't post BS! 😄

8 minutes ago, candide said:

Imagine if you wouldn't post BS! 😄

I think that was part of an old song....

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No one calling you lonely, even though you have a good partner and children, and many hobbies too
Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Imagine no one posted BS on AN, It'll never happen, but you hope

Imagine there's no members, telling you that you live in Isaan and have no life
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Imagine all the people , not needing to visit 100 Thai cities, and enjoying their lives their way
Livin' life in peace
You

You may say He's a troller
But He's not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no flamers on AN
I wonder if you can
No need for Thumbs Down emojis
A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the members
Sharing all the world
You

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll report them
And the forum will live as one

Edited May 7May 7 by fredwiggy

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

It's always cruise ships, are the passengers all constantly swapping partners or are the staff just incredibly dirty and careless when preparing food?

If you are referring to Norovirus outbreaks, the reason why cruise ships seem to feature a lot is because this is a notifiable disease under shipping. Cruise ships account for about 1% of outbreaks.

If you don't want to risk contracting norovirus, first you have to stop visiting nursing homes, eg abandon the elderly and infirm to their fate, stare at them through a window. Nursing homes account for 50% of cases. Then also stop going to hospital. Break a leg, suffer at hme, but at least you won't risk contracting norovirus. The leg will probably heal, somewhat wonky. If it doesn;t, you'll probably die of blood poisoning, which is the result of an innate infection. Then stop going to restaurants and pubs, the next biggest source. finally, stop school nights and the kids can walk home on their own.

Cruise ships actually take incredible precautions, not because they are a riskier place than other settings, but because regulations are such an embuggerance when, as Captain, you have ports of call planned. Hence the cruise liner in question is still on its voyage.

6 hours ago, impulse said:

Probably happens on airplanes, too. But the passengers aren't on them long enough to develop symptoms.

I've never gotten hantavirus (knock wood), but I have gotten sick as a dog a couple of days after a flight. Had I been on a cruise, I'd have turned myself into the onboard clinic.

Hantavirus was most recently in the news concerning the sad death of the actor Gene Hackman. He had advanced Alzheimers. His wife, known to be a fitness freak, contracted the virus, likely from their barn, and collapsed and died within 48 hours in the laundry room. Gene, in the bedroom, had no idea. He died of heart failure weeks later, brought about due to malnutrition and dehydration, as there was no one to feed him. Meanwhile the family dog sat faithfully by her mummified body by the time the police were able to enter the property. The couple lived a quiet life, deliberately. But their kids hadn't seen them in 18 months.

Hantavirus was most recently in the news concerning the sad death of the actor Gene Hackman. He had advanced Alzheimers. His wife, known to be a fitness freak, contracted the virus, likely from their barn, and collapsed and died within 48 hours in the laundry room. Gene, in the bedroom, had no idea. He died of heart failure weeks later, brought about due to malnutrition and dehydration, as there was no one to feed him. Meanwhile the family dog sat faithfully by her mummified body by the time the police were able to enter the property. The couple lived a quiet life, deliberately. But their kids hadn't seen them in 18 months.

At the risk of being called out as a Russkie puppet for posting this link, RT has a great article about hantavirus, including the variations.

Hantavirus: How dangerous is the cruise ship outbreak? — RT World News

30 minutes ago, Roadsternut said:

If you don't want to risk contracting norovirus, first you have to stop visiting nursing homes, eg abandon the elderly and infirm to their fate, stare at them through a window. Nursing homes account for 50% of cases. Then also stop going to hospital. Break a leg, suffer at hme, but at least you won't risk contracting norovirus. The leg will probably heal, somewhat wonky. If it doesn;t, you'll probably die of blood poisoning, which is the result of an innate infection. Then stop going to restaurants and pubs, the next biggest source. finally, stop school nights and the kids can walk home on their own.

Nah,

It's not the places, it's the people hired to work cheaply in those places.

Edited May 7May 7 by BritManToo