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A hantavirus is a rare but contagious disease that typically spreads through rodents and even human-to-human under close contact conditions
A hantavirus is a rare but contagious disease that typically spreads through rodents and even human-to-human under close contact conditions
Thinking it would be a dreamy expedition across the South Atlantic, a Turkish travel vlogger boarded the MV Hondius in Argentina on April 1. Little did he know that the trip would soon turn into a nightmare, leaving three people dead and the ship under quarantine.
Ruhi Cenet was among the 150 passengers aboard the vessel. He had hopped on the 36-day voyage from Ushuaia to document Tristan da Cunha, a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The expedition initially appeared peaceful, with 59 crew members catering to 88 passengers. However, within days, the voyage turned into what Cenet termed a public health nightmare.
“When one of the passengers died during a month-long journey on an expedition vessel, I honestly thought that it was because of the rough ocean conditions”, he said in a video, posted on his official Instagram handle.
He explained how the situation deteriorated after he left the ship on the 24th day of the voyage.
“But it turns out, the situation was much worse than we were told. I got off the ship on Day 24, but this vessel, called ‘MV Hondius’, continued towards its final destination for another 11 days. Just after a day I left the ship, the wife of the person who died also passed away. After a third person died, it became clear that there was hantavirus on board.”
When Did Outbreak Begin?
The first sign of the hantavirus outbreak was evident when the ship’s captain addressed passengers. “This is my sad duty to inform you that one of our passengers suddenly passed away last night,” he said in a video recorded by Cenet.
Passengers were assured that the death was due to “natural causes”. “When it comes to that, the ship is safe”, the captain announced.
After the death of a passenger, life continued normally on the vessel, with people eating together at buffet tables and socialising freely, Cenet recalled.
“Knowing that we didn’t get isolated and we didn’t take any caution for a solid 12 days is a very sad situation. We again kept eating all together… and we didn’t wear any masks,” he said in the video.
As unease surfaced, the vlogger revealed that he had isolated himself from the passengers. “I already kind of isolated myself from the crowd. I started having my meals in my own cabin,” he said.
What WHO Says
A hantavirus is a rare but contagious disease that typically spreads through rodents and even human-to-human under close contact conditions.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), eight cases of hantavirus were identified, including three deaths. Five cases of the infection were laboratory-confirmed, while three remain suspected.
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