WHO flags possible human-to-human hantavirus; Spain to receive ship
WHO says the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, anchored off Cape Verde, may involve human-to-human transmission. The outbreak has already killed three passengers and left several others ill, prompting medical evacuations. Spain has agreed to receive the vessel in the Canary Islands so patients can be transferred and treated ashore. Because hantaviruses normally spread from rodents, WHO's finding of possible person-to-person spread increases urgency for contact tracing, isolation and international coordination to prevent wider transmission.
SHOCK IMAGE: A suspected hantavirus patient is photographed being evacuated from the stricken MV Hondius cruise ship in full head-to-toe protective gear on a gurney.
Middlerage115Here comes the new Covid. Enjoy not being in the World Health Organization, America. 🥴
Liz BlueHeart 🇺🇦💙💛39That’s why I won’t go on a cruise ship. Did it once and did not like it. Thankfully, we didn’t get sick.
IrmaM36Nightmare fuel. Praying to get through Trump 2.0 without a new pandemic.
Boomerin36Let's hope this is not the beginning of a new pandemic. The type of Hanta virus in this case can be transmitted from human to human, incubation up to 60 days, lethality is up to 40%. And another patient died only after leaving the ship and travelling home. The next two months will be interesting.
Aster Vérité21Andes version is human to human transmissible... a little less contagious than covid (for now) but has a high fatality rate about 35% of people. I'd say they're not being cautious enough.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN VIEWS20This was NOT in the cruise ship's brochure.
reincarnated7x.bsky.social16These outbreaks seem to be happening more and more on cruise ships😥
fumagas.bsky.social15And of course it had to happen—when we have incompetent clowns running the circus. 😩
staatenlos.bsky.social14Is it a shock image?
Martha13This is a bad disease. Human to human contact was rare from what I have read. The WHO says they think human to human contact happened this time. I am glad I still have a lot of masks from Covid. I sure hope it isn't very contagious.
Gabrielle10Praying for this guy and everyone on the ship. That had to be terrifying.
Missy9So everyone from thos ship is being quarantined right? Please tell me they are
Eclectic Sky Writer8Be better. Report, don’t fear monger with “shocking image” hype. We can decide how it makes us feel.
Prince7Please send RFK Jr to test the virus! 😂
Matt Lorenzi7Why the "shock image" tag?
Dave Knadler7That “Love Boat” reboot has been temporarily shelved.
Mt Pleasant 🇨🇦 🇩🇪7they're lucky... experiencing it when there is still resources for their protection if it travels, soon ppl afflicted will be sitting in Emerg waiting rooms with dozens of ppl who don't yet have it
TakamineBill7Nothing that some raw milk and horse dewormer can’t fix.
LP 💙❤️🇺🇸🦅6They should have sunk that fckin ship. I'm sorry to say that, but a hantavirus outbreak will make Covid look like a fun time.
Bodhi Boo 👩🏻🌾🌿6Yet another reason to avoid cruise ships. Yikes.😳
foghornleghorn1357.bsky.social6I have heard that if you get this disease there is a 35% chance of death.
Veterans Against Trump6Don't worry, RFK Jr. is in charge and I'm sure with *checks notes* absolutely no medical or scientific education or training that he'll get us through a hantavirus outbreak with *throws dart* ivermectin and *rolls dice* raccoon penises.
Patrick 🇺🇸🇨🇦5This image is hauntingly similar to the image of one of the first HIV cases being deplaned and taken to a hospital in the 80s
need9lives.bsky.social5Scary stuff. And Human to human contact sread.
Queen Mab5This is one of the many reasons I won't get on one of those cattle boats.
ProudSocialistLiberal⚛️💙🏳️🌈🌈🏳️⚧️🇺🇦4We are without the W.H.O this is going to be bad 😔
davidgothelf.bsky.social4Trump has already ordered that cruise ship to dock in Iran.
davidgothelf.bsky.social4Trump has already called a state of emergency and has canceled the midterm elections.
davidgothelf.bsky.social4Trump has already signed an executive order calling this the Biden virus.
Deborah E4Great time to have Crackpot Anti-Science JACKASS RFKjr in charge of CDC😳😳😳
TheSnarkTank4That’s a lot of precautions for a virus that typically doesn’t spread from human to human.
Velvet Vixen ♡4The level of protection they are wearing is really intense. 😷
sp-fxx.bsky.social4Cruises. Worth the risk? I’ll take a pass.
Democratic Free Press3Mice feces Careful when cleaning your garages this spring/summer Spray it down with water so you dont inhale it.
Hantavirus comes from dried rat piss & that’s why I’ll never care to cruise
auntyr.bsky.social3The first two fatalities were people that boarded a week previous. As hanta has an incubation period of 10 to 14 days it may have been brought on board. It isn't less tragic, but it may go a ways to helping determine the initial infection site.
maryv409.bsky.social3It has to be awful being a passenger just waiting to sicken or die on this plague ship. I wonder if the cruise company and/or a government can rent a large facility somewhere where they can quarrantine and/or treat the remaining passengers?
Katy3Hanta virus is from old mouse droppings. It’s believed that the food was contaminated by mouse waste as it was loaded. This is a possible way to catch it. A search did not indicate that they believe it was person to person. Also, people are resistant to it and it often can be only a cold.
lola joaquin3DON'T EVER TAKE A CRUISE. SHIPS ARE COFFINS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
bluetextam.bsky.social3Thanks for confirming that I should never be on a cruise.
iRod2@MeidasTouch. Don't make this a "SHOCK IMAGE" You guys are great, but be careful not to become just more click-bait Journos.
Myst Q2I’m Currently cleaning out a space that had mouse droppings in a friends garage - stressed me out but I sprayed everything with Lysol before vacuuming
Kitty Litterature2why's he sitting like that? Context please? Is he just laying down weird, or does the disease do some shit from The Thing?
NurseGenius2As of Jan 2026 the U.S. is no longer part of the WHO. Think about that. Republicans now rely on RFK jr
davidgothelf.bsky.social2I’ve already invested all the money I have in the stock of the company that makes ivermectin.
Shola Hoon2Would have been a welcome guest at the WHCD
Annmarie2Here we go again. I'm so sorry for this patient, but we all know if it's another COVID event, we're fucked
Forest Dangerfield2At least they're wearing PPE. I remember when suspected covid cases from the Black Diamond cruise ship were being tested by individuals with absolutely no PPE. Not even gloves.
D.P.R. art2I never want to go on a cruise because cruise ships are very bad for the environment and now I have another reason never to go on one.
dozieralan40.bsky.social2Well with the gutting of the CDC we can look forward to mass casualties when it starts spreading
ElleM2They think this may be a rare strain of Hanta virus that can be passed from person to person, 40% death rate. The more common form is only passed from rodents.
scared66.bsky.social2Cruise Ships = Disease Flotillas
pete-17.bsky.social2Hanta virus ??? No worries, we have RFK jr., Dr.Oz and Dr. Phil to protect us. 😁
nonnaknows.bsky.social2I have not seen anywhere, my initial questions: Do they have rodents on the ship? Did rodents contaminate food on the ship? Were the first two deaths, married couple, sick or likely already infected when they got on the ship and if so, how did they interact with each of the people now also sick?
catkelley.bsky.social2Here we go again. I’m convinced, the rich want no more surplus population.
Fibre-Artist2Rules, laws for the upkeep of ships, rooms, food service are not being followed. Why follow laws when the FELON-34 is still out and about? Parody or not!?!?!?!
KChevy 🇨🇦🌈🌿🌎2I’ll never understand why anyone would want to vacation on a floating petri dish with no where to go. Hard pass. 🤮
While most hantaviruses spread through contact with rodent feces, urine or saliva, officials confirm that the type on the cruise ship is Andes hantavirus, which is known to spread between people. n.pr/4tgTJRe
Ewan Sutherland6Another great advert for cruise ships ☣️
Jonathan6Hantaviruses, like most viruses, transmit through the air. They're just not that contagious usually and so we don't see long chains of infection because they are not well suited to human hosts. Same with Ebola.
Elizabeth Hilborn5Terrifying news for the remaining passengers on this expedition cruise. At least now officials know what they're dealing with so that appropriate and supportive care can be deployed rapidly.
🕊GIVE PEACE A CHANCE🕊3And here I was, laughing at a group of people I saw wearing masks, today! I'll be stocking-up on 😷 of my own now!
Short note about hantavirus/cruise ship: it was reported that there were no rodents on the ship. First--I find this unlikely that a cruise ship is completely rodent-free but let's say they didn't find any in the initial search. Remember that happened during the Yosemite outbreak too. /1
Tara C. Smith472/ In the summer of 2012, 10 campers were sickened by hantavirus & 3 died. Most were in tent cabins that initially were cleared by inspectors who saw no evidence of rodents. But they were there, in the walls & nesting in the winterization materials NPS installed. It had to be taken out find them.
Mockingbird, MPH, CHES7We had to tear out the never properly finished drywall in our laundry room when we got rats. It smelled like a rodent cage when the old drywall was out, the studs were black with droppings. And one of the contractors got really sick from a respiratory infection and never recovered. So rats can hide.
Erica6Is it possible someone came on the ship already infected?
the hantavirus cruise ship story is a reminder that mammals are yucky and I don't like them
mossworm.bsky.social68while clearing roots around the house foundation today we have found SO many huge wolf spiders. they have been nothing but polite and a little stupid as I picked up their fat bodies and carried them to safety. good and clean creatures
Highly throwable shrimp3unpopular opinion but I think "humane catch and release" type stuff is a part of the problem too, like these are invasive animals. cats, rats, and dogs werent supposed to inhabit every square inch of land on earth
gatorstooth 🐊2saw a chick on youtube shorts who was just handling a wld deer mouse she "rescued" as it tried to chew on her. like girl! hey! mammals are disgusting and zoonotic diseases exist!
