- Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly virus spread by rodents, causing severe respiratory illness.
- A cruise ship outbreak led to 5 confirmed cases, 3 suspected cases, and 3 fatalities.
- Passengers were not well-informed, and authorities in 3 states are now monitoring individuals who traveled on the ship.
Jesus, Lord, Father, take the wheel, the gas, and the brakes. Everything is trying to kill us.
If you haven’t heard, there is a severely dangerous virus that has reportedly seen an uptick in frequency recently and without being alarmists, we want to give you as much information as possible in order to stay safe. When America gets a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.
According to reports from NBC News, an Netherlands-based cruise ship called Hondius saw an outbreak of hantavirus that lead to five confirmed cases, three suspected cases, and three fatalities.
What is hantavirus, you ask? As described by the American Lung Association, Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly virus carried primarily by rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, and rice rats. Humans can become infected by breathing in virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, especially in enclosed spaces like cabins, sheds, or garages. In the United States, hantavirus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe respiratory illness that begins with flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, and nausea. It may take 1-8 weeks for symptoms to show; however, as the disease worsens, patients may develop coughing and severe breathing difficulties due to fluid buildup in the lungs. According to the CDC, there is no specific cure, but early medical treatment improves survival chances.
One passenger aboard the Hondius was Ruhi Cenet, a well-known documentarian and YouTuber. In an interview with Sky News, he said that the travelers “were not well-informed” about the illness that had befallen the ship after it was announced that one passenger had died.
“Knowing that we didn’t get isolated and we didn’t take any caution for a solid 12 days, for my part, is a very sad situation.”
ABC30 reports that there are now three states monitoring individuals who previously traveled on Hondius: California, Arizona, and Georgia.
Atlanta’s 11Alive is reporting that Georgia is currently surveilling two people. It is unknown how many people in the other two states are being watched, but at this time, none of the individuals in question are said to be showing symptoms.
“There is no information that the California residents are ill or infected… At this time, the risk to public health in California is low,” the California Department of Public Health’s Robert Barsanti said in a statement.
CNN is reporting that 146 people from 23 countries are still aboard the ship “under strict precautionary measures.”
It should be emphasized again that hantavirus is extremely rare, as the ALA cites only 864 cases reported between 1993 and 2022. That said, the World Health Organization cites that in America, hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) has a 50% fatality rate.
Be safe, be careful, be vigilant, be aware of updates.
