ListNook

bonyponyride May 5, 2026 +3932

>“We do know that some of the cases had very close contact with each other and certainly human-to-human transmission can’t be ruled out so as a precaution this is what we are assuming,” Dr. Maria Van Kerhove, WHO’s Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, told reporters. I think CNN is taking this quote ~~a bit~~ completely out of context. Dr. WHO is saying that they have to respond *as if it's the worst case scenario* because there's a chance it could be transmitting human to human, but it's out of an abundance of caution for everyone's safety. "Suspected" is too strong a word. "Can't be ruled out" ≠ suspected

3932

Wompatuckrule May 5, 2026 +981

Agreed. The population is currently quarantined on the ship and treating it as though it was transmissible between humans until that can be strongly ruled out is a prudent action.

981

This_Bodybuilder_866 May 5, 2026 +449

the 1st case (first person to die on the cruise suspected but not proven hantavirus) was in close contact to the second case (first infected and "proven" to be hantavirus in lab). they both traveled extensively in south America, including Argentina. so they most likely became infected off ship. but its the 3rd case who isnt a close contact on the ship to case 1 and 2. thats also tested positive that makes people worry its the Andes strain which "can" be human to human. where the fearmongering is uncalled for is that its been less than 72h from the "WHO" and other relevant parties were informed. so not much time to investigate properly. where we "should" be sensible is the fact that we could be looking at a new strain or etc that could be more infectious. what is important to remember: Hantavirus is monitored in endemic locations. so unless a new strain in a new or unmonitored location has exploded, we shouldn't get blindsided like covid. this link is a science written summary, not media "edited" for clicks if anyone is more interested or wants clear facts. [Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599#)

449

Wompatuckrule May 5, 2026 +53

Good comment and it aligns with the one I replied to. CNN is using the word "suspected" regarding human to human transmission which is not accurate (but is likely to generate more clicks). What health authorities are doing is applying some caution because of the "potential" it spread that way and taking a few days to be much more certain is the sensible thing to do.

53

Salty-Performance766 May 6, 2026 +5

So there is already a human to human variant which has also been mutating and will continue to mutate until it gets on a ship?

5

spinningcolours May 6, 2026 +3

The confirmed case got on a plane and died at the airport on the other end.

3

Unique-Coffee5087 May 5, 2026 +9

It would be interesting to see if a DNA fingerprint from the three cases shows the same pattern, indicating a common origin, or maybe two different fingerprints, indicating that the third patient may have picked it up independently.

9

usexplant May 5, 2026 +14

Hantavirus has an RNA genome.

14

ZombieOwn4567 May 5, 2026 +12

they had sex with a pangolin

12

flyinghairball May 6, 2026 +8

The pangolin is currently trying to file a lawsuit in some random court for being dragged into this mess! It says it wasn't anywhere near this ordeal!

8

pegothejerk May 5, 2026 +304

Been a long while since we've seen prudent action. It feels like a muscle we haven't used in ages due to a coma or something.

304

Wompatuckrule May 5, 2026 +395

You do have to keep in mind that this ship is in Cape Verde, not the US. If it was docked in a US port RFK jr would probably just make all of the passengers do ten jumping jacks as they disembark under the belief that it would cure them.

395

Black_Moons May 5, 2026 +166

RFK would tell everyone "to turn to the left, cough strongly, turn to the right, cough strongly, 1 out of the 2 people you coughed on will not be surviving the week and that is a risk I am willing to take!" while wearing a fully biohazard suit with no helmet/respirator attached.

166

quirkoftime May 5, 2026 +64

Nah. He'd learn that the disease comes from rat feces and declare it the next cure to autism. Then he'd get shirtless in his jeans and eat it by the shovelful.

64

Illustrious_Donkey61 May 5, 2026 +18

Then tell everyone to dissect a raccoon p****

18

RobertJ93 May 5, 2026 +17

It speaks to the insanity of today’s politics that this comment is rooted in reality.

17

gentlegreengiant May 5, 2026 +4

All while hes watching from a few acres back and speaking through a megaphone too.

4

PlentyAlbatross7632 May 5, 2026 +23

And recommend chugging raw milk as a palliative measure. Honestly surprised RFK Jr doesn’t recommend crystals and essential oils as treatments for disease.

23

tradesouthwest May 5, 2026 +7

Make sure it is expired raw milk!

7

nathism May 5, 2026 +20

Yeah but it's not human to human then the other source would be from mice and rats that live on the ship in which case those folks are in for some rough times anyways.

20

Alexis_J_M May 5, 2026 +22

I've seen an analysis strongly suggesting that they got it at a port of call and it just incubated while they were at sea.

22

Wompatuckrule May 5, 2026 +10

The virus is usually only transmitted when nests are disturbed, wouldn't be too hard to minimize that.

10

yolacowgirl May 5, 2026 +11

And dry feces are aerosolized. The first US case was from sweeping and the dried mouse droppings were inhaled and they became sick. They recommend not dry cleaning areas with mice droppings that hantavirus might be present.

11

Wompatuckrule May 5, 2026 +6

I was helping to clear out the house of a relative that passed away in an area where that virus is prevalent. They had a separate small building that was an office where small rodents had gotten in and made nests of chewed up paper. You're damn right I was wearing a respirator while dealing with that space.

6

725Cali May 5, 2026 +100

They had just departed from Argentina which has been having an outbreak of Andes Hantavirus which spreads via human-to-human transmission when the outbreak aboard the ship started. ETA: [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01450-7](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01450-7) The MV *Hondius* started its journey in Argentina, which has had an ongoing outbreak of the Andes virus since last year. Between July 2025 and January 2026, at least 20 deaths from the virus were reported in the country. The number of cases has been similar to that in previous years, but researchers say there has been an increase in the fatality rate. Between January 2025 and January 2026, 34% of people infected with the virus died, compared with the historical national averages of 10–32% in each year between 2019 and 2024, according to Argentina Ministry of Health.

100

Hippie_Go_Lucky_ May 5, 2026 +32

I wish more explanations could be laid out like this. Well-researched, reasonably unbiased, with sources linked and phrased in laymen's terms without oversimplification or hyperbole. It's very well written. Thank you for the explanation!

32

Flake_bender May 5, 2026 +159

"We do believe that there may be some human to human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins," Maria Van Kerkhove, the director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the World Health Organization, told reporters in Geneva. From another article on Reuters. The working theory right now is, WHO believes a husband and wife were infected in Argentina, and then boarded the ship, and they infected others on board.

159

bonyponyride May 5, 2026 +52

If that's the basis for the CNN article's headline, then they need to put it in the article.

52

UrbanNorminal May 5, 2026 +6

Well the writer probably wrote it on the basis of someone else's statement, its also possible that CNN is just trying to make the article catchy.

6

Soft_Walrus_3605 May 5, 2026 +3

IIRC, editors typically write article titles, not the writers themselves.

3

BadHombreSinNombre May 5, 2026 +196

I’m glad the WHO is being the adult in the room here and taking precautions like this when the stakes are so high. Maria Van Kerhove proving once again she doesn’t screw around.

196

FollowingFeisty5321 May 5, 2026 +110

It's actually easy when you don't let the stupidest fucks in the world overrule the doctors and scientists.

110

paul_h May 5, 2026 +26

Took her six years to delete her “covid is not airborne” tweet

26

Unique-Coffee5087 May 5, 2026 +44

Public health officials insisted that COVID-19 was "not airborne", and yet also required us to wear masks and keep our distance. These two ideas were at odds, confusing the public while undermining the authority of doctors, researchers, and government officials. But what was the reason for this? It turns out that COVID-19 doesn't meet the medical and scientific criteria for an "airborne" infectious agent. It does not survive in an infectious condition while carried in microscopic droplets that can survive and drift in the air for hours. Instead, COVID-19 is carried in droplets that are too large to meet the "airborne disease" definition. At the same time, in *common understanding* an "airborne disease" is one that can be contracted by breathing. The virus certainly meets that common definition. It struck me as tragic and strangely short-sighted of government authorities that they stood so rigidly on the official definition of an "airborne virus" while the trust of the public eroded away over a misunderstanding. I have seen this happen in hospital settings when doctors argued with patients and their relatives over a minute point of nomenclature.

44

green_flash May 5, 2026 +15

Having highly specialized domain experts communicate to the public directly carries the risk of misunderstanding. In many domains experts use terms that have a very precise meaning in their field, but a much wider or even different meaning in every day use. It's counterintuitive that getting your information directly from the most qualified person in a given field could be a source of misinformation, but it happens, simply because there are actually two languages involved and you can never know what words mean something different in the language the expert is speaking compared to the language you are speaking.

15

moonraez May 5, 2026 +3

This is why academia needs to push the idea that you should *always* define your terms. Especially something like this, when it can be easily misunderstood. I got my peers really annoyed at me for pushing this idea for years, but now get to point to covid (and this historic miscommunication) of why we should define our terms for the general public. Unfortunately, science isn't my area of study, but I believe this rule really should apply to every part of academia across the board...

3

Artemis_Verite May 5, 2026 +42

While I also appreciate a calm mentality, I don’t think CNN is using hyperbole or speaking completely out of context. The WHO just the other day (yesterday, I think) said H2H transmission was really not likely, and as more evidence came in they changed their stance. That is an alarming development, but still not one to panic over. The WHO is also still saying the public threat remains very low. But an H2H/Andes version of Hantavirus would be a potentially big deal. CNN is doing their job here.

42

MentalRental May 5, 2026 +11

I disagree. There are 7 people sick who are not from the same place. Unless there's some kind of mysterious rodent infestation on the ship, human-to-human spread should be assumed to be the cause and proper precautions (i.e. droplet precautions) should be taken.

11

Ok_Aioli_5673 May 5, 2026 +10

Respectfully, I work in public health comms. The fact that they're even saying that it can't be ruled out is alarming. Otherwise they'd say it's, "very unlikely" or something similar.

10

iupvotethankyou May 5, 2026 +7

“Human-to-human transmission has been found with a type of hantavirus found in the Americas called the Andes virus, according to WHO. The organization said when transmission has happened, it's been due to close and prolonged contact, specifically between people who live together or are intimate partners, and is most likely to happen during the early stages of the illness, "when the virus is more transmissible." “ [Source](https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/hantavirus-rodent-outbreak-9.7186920)

7

DonaldsMushroom May 6, 2026 +4

Can we get RFK Jnr on the boat ASAP. hE'LL Kn)W WHAt too DoO!!11!!

4

phagemasterflex May 5, 2026 +35

Absolutely 1000000%. The quote is even in the article and CNN was like, "nah let's inject some fearmongering to make some $$$." Seriously, f*** this legacy bullshit media they are a cancer upon society.

35

newtoallofthis2 May 5, 2026 +38

You clearly haven't seen new media, it's going to blow your mind....

38

iamatechnician May 5, 2026 +6

I see what you did there

6

DocMoochal May 5, 2026 +6

Old media: We could see this situation degrade, but, time will tell New Media: ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ BREAKING NEWS!!! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!! GET YOUR GO BAG RIGHT NOW!!! ☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️

6

Romnir May 5, 2026 +6

They got bought by the same guys who own fox news.

6

smurg112 May 5, 2026 +22

Not saying it's not a cancer, but what would you prefer for news delivery instead? Ticktoc reels? Facebook?

22

whatshamilton May 5, 2026 +7

Very close contact with each other also means very close contact with the same items that has been infected by rodents

7

HumansNeedNotApply1 May 5, 2026 +1095

They need to send a hospital ship to quarantine and treat these people as the ship can't be allowed to dock.

1095

WhyDidntITextBack May 5, 2026 +718

We should leave no chance that these people can decide not to quarantine themselves. Best they stay on the boat till it passes

718

E1M1_DOOM May 5, 2026 +687

Yeah. We've seen what people do during a pandemic. I'm done trusting that people will do the right thing when the stakes are high.

687

_WitchoftheWaste May 5, 2026 +131

Shout out to the folks in the little village of Eyam back in 1665, that voluntarily quarantined and fully cut itself off for over a year when a shipment of fabric arrived with bubonic plague fleas. They lost almost 300 people (almost the entire town, entire families gone in most cases) in order to spare thousands.

131

WhyDidntITextBack May 5, 2026 +168

Exactly lol. Sorry not sorry. If people would have some sense it would be all good, but you have those “muh freedom” or “stay inside of your scared”, mfs that ruin it for everyone .

168

grandmawaffles May 5, 2026 +162

The selfish ass lady with Ebola that refused quarantine after being medically transported back to the US because’mah freedumb’ should have taught everyone everything they needed to know before COVID even started.

162

OsmerusMordax May 5, 2026 +71

I am of the belief those people should be fined heavily and thrown in jail. Your ‘freedoms’ or whatever should not hinder or harm others.

71

Dragonyte May 5, 2026 +18

Tbh, I'd advocate for worse if their negligence ends up killing someone.

18

ashoka_akira May 5, 2026 +35

People should just check out the wikipedia page on the story behind the real Typhoid Mary. This woman caused multiple outbreaks over the years and eventually had to be locked up in a special prison to prevent her from continuing to ignore her isolation orders.

35

Dat_Mawe3000 May 5, 2026 +10

But what about their God-given RIGHT to wander the streets and infect people? /s

10

falingsumo May 5, 2026 +80

Let's be honest cruise people are most likely already the type of people that wouldn't quarantine themselves

80

currently_pooping_rn May 5, 2026 +26

Type of people to wear a mask and not cover the nose, and at the same time stop wearing a mask when they learn it’s to protect others and not themselves

26

Illustrious_Rice_933 May 5, 2026 +6

Just hopping on this comment to clarify that certain easily accessible masks do protect the wearer (i.e., KN95, N95, etc.).

6

MONSTERTACO May 5, 2026 +12

There could be infected rodents on the ship though, they need to be transferred to another ship.

12

BadHombreSinNombre May 5, 2026 +96

There’s no reason they can’t quarantine them on land. A ship carrying illness is one of the most common reasons for a quarantine. Many many ports still have dedicated quarantine facilities. “Quarantine” itself as a word comes from a disease situation where the original input of the disease came from ships (not that it worked great, but usually things don’t work well right when they’re invented).

96

troyunrau May 5, 2026 +78

If I recall correctly, during the plague, Venice made arrivals stay on an island for 40 days, and if they survived, were allowed to enter the city. Quarantine literally has the number 40 embedded in the word.

78

Thosam May 5, 2026 +5

The islands Lazzaretto Vecchio, Lazzaretto Nuovo, and later the Lazaretto Nuevissimo in the outer ranges of the lagoon.

5

BadHombreSinNombre May 5, 2026 +12

It’s complicated. The first long term European isolation period was imposed in 1377 in Ragusa/Dubrovnik and did involve nearby islands, but also this wasn’t really the first time this was practiced and also wasn’t really during the Black Death so much as 20ish years after but during the same overall pandemic (depending on how you look at it, the Black Death was the start of a plague pandemic that lasted hundreds of years). But that was 30 days long. It was extended to 40 days (afaik from records in Venice in 1448) and throughout Europe these isolation measures variously involved being on land somewhere remote or just remaining aboard ships. These were rather ineffective though until the development of modern sanitarian procedures.

12

HumansNeedNotApply1 May 5, 2026 +55

Quarantine ships weren't allowed to dock, but i get what you're meaning.

55

BadHombreSinNombre May 5, 2026 +14

Originally, sure. But in the modern period quarantine stations were developed and quarantines have now been performed on land for over a century. I think we can manage it. Better care for anyone affected too.

14

grimacedia May 5, 2026 +7

During early COVID times, ships were being docked and utilizing these stations. It sounds like a lot of people had no way to get home after the quarantine, which is horrible and hopefully doesn't happen with this.

7

tamati_nz May 5, 2026 +58

Normally yes but in these crazy geopolitical times letting those people into your country and then having a (certain) world leader demand/threaten you to relax or break quarantine is a real risk. Once they're on the ground it's much harder to refuse or remove them. Covid taught us many leaders can't be trusted and will make stupid decisions for political point scoring/idealogical reasons.

58

grandmawaffles May 5, 2026 +58

The first people in the US with Ebola, measles, and then Covid has taught me that very few people in the US will actually quarantine themselves for the good of the community. I’m all for keeping people on a boat.

58

BadHombreSinNombre May 5, 2026 +15

Self-quarantine is ineffective. Quarantine is not the same thing as self-quarantine. In this situation it would be warranted (and within public health legal authorities) to impose a forced quarantine.

15

ruskyandrei May 5, 2026 +464

>“The risk to the general public is low,” Van Kerkhove emphasized. “This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It’s quite different.”

464

Future_Literature_70 May 5, 2026 +265

That's reassuring, but why have so many passengers come down with it, then? Could it be rat droppings in the air conditioning, blowing the virus around the ship?

265

KeyCold7216 May 5, 2026 +101

Yeah this is what I'm confused about. I would have expected the cleaning staff to be the ones getting sick, because you normally get hanta from disturbing dried droppings that you then breathe in. The risk is nit that high just being in a room with droppings. Otherwise we'd be seeing thousands of cases a year. Something like 30% of mice carry the virus, so it is everywhere.

101

DrKittyKevorkian May 5, 2026 +73

Hanta requires quite specific environmental conditions to be viable, but the antarctic is certainly arid enough. And I imagine people on this type of trip are indoors much more than on other cruises. Man, what I wouldn't do for ventilation schematics of the ship and a line list of the sick by room number and time of onset. Given both crew and guests are sick, the spread was very likely on the ship. It's just a matter of figuring out if the reservoir was environmental or human. The ventilation system will tell the story.

73

scyice May 5, 2026 +20

It’s common to get it from sweeping or what-not, but it can just be in the air in spaces that aren’t ventilated well. And only specific types of mice and rats carry it. There are likely many more cases a year that go undiagnosed since testing isn’t easy. I was reassured by 3 doctors that I did not have hanta exposure or the hallmark symptoms of it. They put in the test anyway and 7 days later it came back as positive.

20

wuhter May 5, 2026 +196

There is a strain of hantavirus (Andes) that can be spread human to human. Idk why most major news sources are not mentioning it. WHO believes a couple was infected in Argentina (Andes strain is found there) and though it is rare, then spread it to others on the boat

196

Future_Literature_70 May 5, 2026 +73

I suspect they're not mentioning it as they want to be sure what strain it is before panicking people. Let's hope it's not the Andes strain then!

73

725Cali May 5, 2026 +52

They had just departed Argentina when the outbreak aboard the ship started. Argentina and Chile is where Andes Hantavirus was discovered and Argentina has been having an outbreak. ETA: [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01450-7](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01450-7) The MV *Hondius* started its journey in Argentina, which has had an ongoing outbreak of the Andes virus since last year. Between July 2025 and January 2026, at least 20 deaths from the virus were reported in the country. The number of cases has been similar to that in previous years, but researchers say there has been an increase in the fatality rate. Between January 2025 and January 2026, 34% of people infected with the virus died, compared with the historical national averages of 10–32% in each year between 2019 and 2024, according to Argentina Ministry of Health.

52

nicuramar May 5, 2026 +8

> There is a strain of hantavirus (Andes) that can be spread human to human Maybe, but there isn’t conclusive evidence so far. Maybe there will be soon. > Idk why most major news sources are not mentioning it Because it’s not conclusive, maybe.

8

Traithor May 5, 2026 +14

Only 7 people got it no?

14

MagsClouds May 5, 2026 +35

6 people. One was sharing a cabin with the lady who passed away, but is asymptomatic. She is treated as patient due to proximity to the virus. No-one else showed any symptoms since few days.

35

krakenpistole May 6, 2026 +4

Incubation time for the andes virus unfortunately is anywhere from 1-8 weeks...time will tell I guess. Lets hope for the best!

4

orange728 May 5, 2026 +3

Pardon me if I don't believe anyone saying stuff like "the risk is low." Remember when they said covid was just a cold?

3

Flimsy-Sprinkles7331 May 5, 2026 +8

Good. Then follow classic quarantine rules until it passes. Don't let the ship dock. If it isn't airborne then the unaffected passengers will be fine until this is resolved.

8

varro-reatinus May 5, 2026 +23

I mean, that may be true, but if as suggested this could be a novel hantavirus that has evolved beyond zoonosis, then we have no f****** idea what we're dealing with *yet*.

23

pat8o May 5, 2026 +19

From Wikipedia "Human-to-human transmission of Andes virus was first claimed to be a part of a 1996 outbreak in southern Argentina. Since then, there have been continual claims that it can spread from person to person.[12] It can reportedly spread through saliva, airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing, breastmilk, from mother to child across the placenta, and through the digestive tract.[4][7] Person-to-person transmission reportedly occurs mainly within families or when engaging in close activities with an infected person during the prodromal disease phase.[7] A 2021 systematic review, however, found these claims not to be supported by sufficient evidence and cited flawed methodology in research on Andes virus outbreaks.[12" So. Maybe it's been happening, but the research was flawed :/ Maybe somebody should have followed up after 2021

19

TailungFu May 5, 2026 +1054

dont let it dock.

1054

thefunkybassist May 5, 2026 +539

"Cruiseship Royal Hanta Voyager has already been afloat for 65 days being denied docking rights everywhere"

539

[deleted] May 5, 2026 +336

[removed]

336

PurulentPlacenta May 5, 2026 +7

I have been on at least 10 cruises and get sick every f****** time, even with persistent hand washing, hand sanitizing, scrubbing the phone down, etc. It’s a running joke in my family that I am going to come down with a respiratory infection post cruise. I’ve stopped going on them. But international air travel, I’m fine. F*** cruises lol.

7

thefunkybassist May 5, 2026 +31

Yeah it should be common sense. So many people tightly packed using the same food, same toilets, and picking up all sorts of foreign micro organisms from visiting exotic locations. What could go wrong!

31

coolhotcoffee May 5, 2026 +86

It really isn't that likely especially something this bad. My parents have been on multiple and never gotten sick

86

cmm239 May 5, 2026 +9

My mother in law goes on cruises all the time and always comes back sick. I’ll never get on a cruise lol

9

Reddit_Loves_Misinfo May 5, 2026 +27

You: Everyone I know who has gone on a cruise has gotten really sick. Normal person: Getting sick on cruises isn't as common as you think, and lots of people go on cruises without getting sick. You: I can confidently say that you are crazy. ---- Why are you like this? What is that supposed to accomplish?

27

SanDiedo May 5, 2026 +61

JFC, it's a floating death camp.

61

SneakyBadAss May 5, 2026 +38

That's literally what quaranta (quarantine) meant. 40 days at sea to prevent the spread of black plague.

38

[deleted] May 5, 2026 +96

[deleted]

96

xX609s-hartXx May 5, 2026 +16

On the other hand: if it's caused by infected rat feces on the ship you're just forcing everybody else to also get infected.

16

Ubiquitor2 May 5, 2026 +15

Yes, but if there's even a slight chance it's human transmissable then we really cannot afford to let it get off that ship. It's horrible for the people on board but the disease has an almost 50% mortality rate, millions could die

15

Jack-of-the-Shadows May 5, 2026 +3

There have been human to human transmissions before. Its rare but not even close to unprecidented. It just is not very efficient compared to the normal vector.

3

Virtblue May 5, 2026 +50

Um hanta is hemorrhagic, they do not have facilities on that boat to deal with that. They should transport people to hospitals that can deal with people bleeding out of every membrane.

50

Odd-Row9485 May 5, 2026 +39

Or better yet a hospital ship!

39

KeyCold7216 May 5, 2026 +14

The "new world" hanta viruses aren't. They are way more deadly though. They make you go from feeling like you have a cough to dead in hours by pulmonary edema. The fatality rate is like 50%. The "old world" hanta viruses in Europe, Asia, and Africa do cause hemorrhaging, but they are actually way less severe. The fatality rate ranges from less than 1% to 15% depending in the strain.

14

18voltbattery May 5, 2026 +28

Emory has a hospital that can manage this. Back in the day there was a guy named Fauci who helped during the Ebola outbreak. He was some kind of infectious disease guy.

28

xXConfuocoXx May 5, 2026 +6

It is really interesting watching the trolly problem play out in the comments here.

6

khournos May 5, 2026 +40

That may sound harsh, but if leaving them be is the cost of not spreading human to human transmissible Hantavirus, I am pretty ok with that.

40

SatisfactionNarrow61 May 5, 2026 +45

We won’t learn shit from COVID and if this is mutated hanta that has human to human, we need to be taking this very seriously. With how fucked the world has been in the last decade, an epidemic of this shit seems appropriate

45

Palomino_mare May 5, 2026 +10

It’s a good thing people on Listnook aren’t in charge of something like this. There is equipment and protocols to deal with airborne pathogens (and it hasn’t yet been shown there is human to human transmission anyway). It’s not like that is anything new for God’s sake, tuberculosis anyone? People should not be left on a ship to die.

10

ewaters46 May 5, 2026 +3

Yeah seriously, and even if there is human to human transmission, that doesn’t mean it has to be airborne. If it spreads by contact infection, we know how to contain that very well by now. People are claiming „if that gets on land it will kill millions!“ when virologists don’t even know if it spreads among humans yet and any info on transmissibility is a complete unknown. Madness.

3

Takkarro May 6, 2026 +21

Well it's kind of too late for stopping the spread I just saw a story about who tracking like 88 people who had contact with somebody who was infected by the virus on an airplane coming from Africa or something. So who's ready for round two of global pandemic?

21

Elegant-Gas-2195 May 6, 2026 +17

The first person to die on the cruise ship was a man. The ship docked and took the dead man off. His wife got off the ship during this process and then flew home instead of getting back on the ship. The wife is the one who was on the plane with 88 passengers. When the plane got to the airport, the wife got off the plane and had a medical emergency. She died. She was having symptoms before she got on the plane and tested positive for Hanta when the hospital tested for it.

17

Takkarro May 6, 2026 +12

Jesus Christ people, I hate humanity

12

Shartcookie May 6, 2026 +13

She may not have realized it can spread human to human. Prob figured got it from same source as husband. Was also prob in shock, terrified, and her traumatized family may have been begging her to come home. Don’t get me wrong, it’s shitty. But we might not fully understand her mindset.

13

Takkarro May 6, 2026 +17

If your husband died from some sort of disease then no you don't get to play the card that you don't understand that it could possibly spread. And it's not just on her it's also on every single medical professional in that area that handled her husband's death knew about her relation to him and allowed her to leave anyways.

17

10mmrAncientDefender May 5, 2026 +17

I agree but I feel so awful for everyone on board, it'd be such a terrifying experience

17

flavorfox May 5, 2026 +85

You know it’s a bad cruise experience when WHO boards the ship

85

SullyTheGiantSlayer May 5, 2026 +178

The amount of people I've seen downplaying Hauntavirus in general is alarming...shit has a 30-50% mortality rate depending on the strain, and there's literally no cure or anything they can do besides supportive care and hope your body can fight it off. People comparing this virus to covid legitimately have no idea what they are talking about.

178

omegafivethreefive May 6, 2026 +54

I don't understand how a plague ship doesn't just get immediate worldwide response. Why would you even take a chance on it allowing for human-to-human transmission?

54

Sad_Dependent_6345 May 6, 2026 +9

I know black swans exist, but not in my pond!

9

LezzyGopher May 6, 2026 +13

Yes! Plus people downplaying the human to human transmission aspect. 8 people have been suspected with 2 confirmed so far from that ship. There are only 150 people on that ship and the incubation period is several weeks (up to 8). If the suspected cases are correct, that is 5% of the ship ALREADY noticeably infected, with many others likely infected but asymptomatic. They are downplaying this because they don’t understand it fully and don’t want to alarm the public.

13

Beyond_Your_Nose May 5, 2026 +202

Left Argentina April 1st. The virus Transmitted in rats/Arrosol, fecal matter. Maybe vermin got into the food stores then it would explain multiple people getting the virus. Possibly the Andes Strain? Discovered in Argentina, spread by long tailed pigmy rice rat..sounds about right. More…[more here on Andes Virus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus)

202

thefunkybassist May 5, 2026 +49

I wonder if there were any precautions for that, seems like a high risk scenario that isn't that unlikely. As a Dutchman myself, "our" Dutch way of approaching things is often "oh well, it's probably not that bad" while exploring the world basically.

49

MagsClouds May 5, 2026 +40

Not on a ship that goes to Antarctica. They are under extremely strict regulations. The cleanliness is psychopath level on those vessels. It has to do with Polar Code which every vessel traveling to Antarctica must adhere to. So yeah, even Dutchies have to comply 😉

40

JLZ13 May 5, 2026 +11

Hanta isn't news in Argentina. Almost all cases not involve food. But unlucky tourists in the forest where the rats thrive.

11

[deleted] May 5, 2026 +71

[removed]

71

Informal_Process2238 May 5, 2026 +19

This is a variant that is also transmitted human to human that makes it even more dangerous

19

xAkumu May 6, 2026 +12

*more* dangerous, sure. But it's still not very transmissible unless it's some newly mutated strain. Think more like ebola OUTSIDE of Africa. It's endemic in Argentina/Chile and not new and they still only see 100-200 cases a year. I feel this comment is fear mongering a bit.

12

Chat00 May 5, 2026 +34

Thinking of the nurses and doctors looking after these people. May their PPE protect them.

34

UltimateGlimpse May 5, 2026 +127

Nasty stuff: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirus)

127

redditscraperbot2 May 5, 2026 +243

Glad they included pictures of the virus so I know what microbes to avoid.

243

kleptorsfw May 5, 2026 +109

Viral mugshots

109

merchlinkinbio May 5, 2026 +24

Not a drop of empathy in those eyes

24

BathFullOfDucks May 5, 2026 +21

The images are a great way to visualise which clade the viruses belong to, for example, does it look similar to this little guy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebolavirus?wprov=rarw1#/media/File%3AEbola_virus_em.jpg

21

Ariliescbk May 5, 2026 +6

Check ID at the gate. Approved microbes only.

6

DiarrheaMonkey1 May 5, 2026 +21

I say it's their own damn fault. I mean, who goes on a "hantavirus cruise ship" anyway?

21

funwithdesign May 5, 2026 +9

Big f****** red flag if you ask me. But I’m no Doctor

9

obeytheturtles May 5, 2026 +112

Well it's a good thing that we have a fully funded and fully staffed WHO to deal with this, otherwise it could be a serious problem!

112

infernal2ss May 6, 2026 +5

Also be thankful we don’t currently have a Secretary of Health and Human Services who is antivax and prominent spreader of misinformation!

5

ocbro2 May 5, 2026 +50

Babe wake up, new plague just dropped

50

huhzonked May 5, 2026 +32

If this turns out to be the human to human type of virus, this will be very bad news. The second fatality had collapsed in Johannesburg’s main international airport before she passed away. One article I read said that airport is the busiest in Africa.

32

UnusualXchaos May 6, 2026 +9

The good news (if any) is that deadly viruses I believe can’t transmit well. Higher fatality rate is inversely proportional to how well it spreads.

9

xAkumu May 6, 2026 +8

Bad news, yeah, but people need to stop thinking every virus is super contagious unless proven otherwise because as of right now, Andes Hantavirus (suspected strain) is not that contagious and only spread via VERY close contact with the infected. It's not airborne like COVID. It's endemic in Argentina/Chile and they still see only 100-200 cases a year. I highly highly doubt this will become a problem unless it's a very mutated strain, which while possible, is very very unlikely.

8

OmzyHuncho May 5, 2026 +41

Can’t wait for the Netflix special

41

obeytheturtles May 5, 2026 +15

I'm more excited for the Chubbyemu report.

15

Upbeat-Original-7137 May 5, 2026 +9

"This woman ingested 5 kgs of rodent faeces. You won't believe what happened next"

9

Wurschd May 5, 2026 +70

"Discover the world on our hantavirus cruise ship"

70

Slipsonic May 5, 2026 +48

Nothing beats a jet2 holiday

48

baaaananaaa May 5, 2026 +9

Read that in the voice too ha

9

PreviouslyOnBible May 5, 2026 +5

Yeah, I mean it's kinda their fault. Who would buy tickets for a hantavirus cruise?

5

quantizeddreams May 5, 2026 +43

Oh look…. Covid 2: hemorrhagic bungalow

43

Any-Ambassador-6158 May 5, 2026 +74

Hahahaha. Remember when America couldn’t convince a third of its population to wash its hands and stay 6’ apart for 2 weeks and then we dedicated 4 years to dealing with them throwing tantrums about it. I’m glad we can all be adults about stuff like this.

74

Mundane-Manner4237 May 5, 2026 +20

You have to give that floating incubator more time to brew a bit more so the viral sequence mutates and better adapts to human to human transmission. Will make Covid look like child’s play. Currently 30 to 50% mortality rate. Nature can dial that in.

20

That-Advance-9619 May 5, 2026 +43

I'm from the Canary Islands and they diverting the f****** ship here. I'm pretty sure it is going to be the f****** strain that can jump from human to human, I'm betting on that. We are going to be fucked, this will probably be what kill me. I have zero f****** trust in the govt and healthcare providers, not to mention the WHO. We humans couldn't even deal with a f****** coronavirus, ffs.

43

FawnAC May 5, 2026 +13

Good luck with that. It’s holiday season. Everyone visits the Canary Islamds the next couple of weeks. We are alle bleeped.

13

TheDude4269 May 5, 2026 +23

Reason #372 for never taking a cruise

23

Cheap-Medicine-9646 May 5, 2026 +13

I thought they got rid of WHO so we wouldn't have any more health issues?

13

LilSaganMan May 5, 2026 +6

They tried, but they also got rid of the person who was supposed to get rid of WHO. Cindy Lou Who.

6

bluehawk232 May 5, 2026 +13

I never want to go on a cruise ship

13

F1eshWound May 5, 2026 +6

Just in time for 2027s calamity. At least we have some pandemic experience now!

6

Significant_Cow4765 May 5, 2026 +5

yeah "my body my choice, f*** masks..."

5

Ozymannoches May 5, 2026 +22

Send that ship on a world tour. Speed run global herd immunity = no more hantavirus threat. It's just common sense! /s😜

22

phagemasterflex May 5, 2026 +36

The headline is awful and if you read the article they state only that "there was close contact" and "human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out." They literally did not say there was human-to-human transmission, so don't read into this absolute travesty of a "news" piece from CNN. Completely bogus headline that doesn't even match the substance of the article, so classic shit job by big media trying to tear-jerk a public into fear.

36

Labrat15415 May 5, 2026 +15

> The headline is awful and if you read the article they state only that "there was close contact" and "human-to-human transmission cannot be ruled out." They are stating exactly what the WHO is saying. Their working hypothesis right now is that some human-to-human transmission occured, aka. "suspect". Especially considering the patient 0 was in Argentinia before the cruise, where a human-to-human transmissible species of the virus is found (as mentioned in the article!), it does make sense as a working hypothesis.

15

Francl27 May 6, 2026 +3

The quote on NPR is "we do believe there may have been." I see a lot of maybes.

3

[deleted] May 5, 2026 +11

[deleted]

11

wuhter May 5, 2026 +5

No, CNN actually mentioned it specifically and explained it. Most other sources are saying it cannot be spread from human to human and not mentioning Andes at all.

5

Rokea-x May 5, 2026 +5

I bet it’s those freakin pineapple rooms !!

5

Glittering_Bid1112 May 5, 2026 +4

We are burning that ship down, right?!

4

Visual_Locksmith_976 May 6, 2026 +5

Cruise ships are just nasty like prisons with a chance of drowning, the Andes version has up to an 8 week incubation period, god knows who the infected ppl could of come into contact with in that time!!

5

MVIVN May 5, 2026 +13

It better not dock.

13

TheWebCoder May 5, 2026 +19

If only we still belonged to the WHO.

19

Cold_Specialist_3656 May 5, 2026 +10

Monitoring the spread of deadly diseases is woke. Eat some roadkill and buy Trumpcoin

10

nicuramar May 5, 2026 +7

We do. Oh, you mean the USA.

7

OceanOG May 5, 2026 +17

Yay I love when viruses happen with an incompetent president in charge

17

Thrusthamster May 5, 2026 +14

Uh. This virus starting to spread among humans is what the movie Contagion was about

14

nicuramar May 5, 2026 +12

No it’s not. Different, fictional, virus.

12

Jor94 May 5, 2026 +4

New Pandemic just dropped

4

MarshStudio503 May 5, 2026 +4

“Hantavirus cruise” sounds like the worst vacation. Who would pay for such a thing? /s

4

brmoser May 5, 2026 +4

. . . is "Hantavirus" in the right place in the title? I hope not...

4

subvocalize_it May 6, 2026 +4

Is anyone on the ship live blogging? I followed one of these in early 2020.

4

248inthemorning May 6, 2026 +3

There is a guy on TikTok that is on the ship. He posted a video crying. I will see if I can find it again.

3

paps2977 May 6, 2026 +4

It can have up to 8-10 weeks incubation period! The people on this ship should stay there for that period after the last possible infection. I hate that people are stuck there but this is a risk you take on a cruise. And we have seen how this plays out before.

4

Own-Dependent-4601 May 5, 2026 +7

cruise ships really be speedrunning every possible disaster at this point 😭

7

GuessTraining May 5, 2026 +9

Suspected is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

9

oneonus May 5, 2026 +51

Cruises are horrible for the environment as well, don't see the appeal.

51

temporarycreature May 5, 2026 +17

Really been paying attention to the electric battery industry and what they're doing with ships, and it's pretty incredible what China has put out so far. Really looking forward to a future with cruise ships using a renewable resource to be powered cleanly. All of them that're operating ships, are really intrigued by this because fuel is the largest overhead cost for shipping goods, and that was before Agent Orange was messing things up in the Middle East.

17

ManlyEmbrace May 5, 2026 +17

Don’t they also just dump their sewage and garbage into the sea as they go?

17

Open_Exchange4981 May 5, 2026 +16

Rule #1 of life: never take a f****** cruise.

16

EntropicInfundibulum May 5, 2026 +6

When is Trump going to demand it comes to port? And can Trumps sons place bets on that?

6

SHITBLAST3000 May 5, 2026 +3

I’ve seen enough zombie movies to see where this is going…

3

PromiseToBeNiceToYou May 5, 2026 +3

Suspected. Not proven.

3

CaptainObvious110 May 5, 2026 +3

Ok, keep those folks on board until that mess goes away. Thoroughly sanitize the vessel as well. Do not allow it to stop anywhere

3

CaptainObvious110 May 5, 2026 +3

Does anyone get a refund from this? Best believe this is not the trip they imagined

3

s0ulbrother May 5, 2026 +3

On the “bright side” this seems to kill easily so it probably wouldn’t spread super well

3

noramiro May 5, 2026 +7

Idk, from what I read the incubation period is pretty big

7

KPDog May 5, 2026 +3

The World Health Organization Says, that’s who

3

unknownpoltroon May 5, 2026 +6

I did not have hauntsvirus pandemic on the bingo card. Bird flu always on there. Still had a spot for new covid. But not this

6

tradesouthwest May 5, 2026 +3

And don't even get me started on the (Black) Mold that is lurking around on these, older, ships. That alone should have them decommissioned.

3

Human-to-human transmission suspected on board hantavirus cruise ship, WHO says | CNN

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