Covid-19 cruise passengers recall painful memories amid hantavirus outbreak

Key Points:

• Three passengers aboard the MV Hondius have died from a hantavirus outbreak, with two confirmed cases of the Andes strain and one probable case; the ship is en route from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands.
• The U.S. State Department is arranging evacuation and quarantine for 17 American passengers at a Nebraska facility, while Spanish authorities will quarantine affected individuals at a Madrid military hospital.
• The Andes hantavirus strain, primarily found in Argentina, spreads person-to-person less easily than COVID-19 but has a fatality rate up to 50%, affecting lungs and kidneys and causing rapid health deterioration.
• Passengers on the Hondius, similar in size to the Diamond Princess, report maintaining calm by engaging in activities like reading and bird-watching while following safety protocols such as mask-wearing and social distancing.
• The outbreak and subsequent quarantine evoke painful memories for former Diamond Princess passengers who experienced isolation and fear during the early COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the emotional toll of shipboard disease outbreaks.