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News & Current Events May 5, 2026 at 6:23 PM

WHO Tracing Over 80 People on Flight Taken by Hantavirus Victim

Posted by Sharkella

WHO tracing over 80 people on flight taken by hantavirus victim
The Manila Times
WHO tracing over 80 people on flight taken by hantavirus victim
GENEVA, Switzerland  — The World Health Organization said Tuesday it was tracing people on a flight between the island of Saint Helena and Johannesburg taken by a cruise ship passenger who died of hantavirus.
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Rare-Election6332 May 5, 2026 +5758
Contact tracing (86 edit) 88 people who landed in Africa's largest international airport?
5758
Last-Classroom-5400 May 5, 2026 +2188
Hopefully it didn't make it to Madagascar or Greenland before they could shut down their borders.
2188
F-18Bro May 6, 2026 +854
If Saudi Arabia gets hit while air transmission hits level 2 we're fucked.
854
stablogger May 6, 2026 +447
This man knows his game.
447
engineer-cabbage May 6, 2026 +193
F*** it we ball. Upgrade to organ failure
193
crazyfatskier2 May 6, 2026 +46
That’s how the worm in RFK’s head got got.
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EarlyJuggernaut7091 May 5, 2026 +1975
Woah…. Throwing that number around like the feds don’t have Listnook, hope you’re using a VPN.
1975
exMemberofSTARS May 5, 2026 +743
Kash Patel has already drawn up an indictment, now we will just wait till he can read it with those eyes so he can sign it.
743
illicit_losses May 5, 2026 +186
Where’s my seashells when I need them
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Djaii May 5, 2026 +140
In the bathroom. Figure it out cave man.
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jazir55 May 5, 2026 +70
Kash Patel has seen every indictment, past present or future, his eyes are facing in every direction.
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rogozh1n May 5, 2026 +258
86 is a bad number. 88 is a tattoo that everyone in the trump administration has.
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rocketpastsix May 6, 2026 +73
Smart. You always rush Madagascar and then push hard for Greenland to get the total domination
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ILoveHookers4Real May 5, 2026 +77
I guess we have to get ready for... *Pandemic 2: Hantavirus - This time you'll bleed*
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WafflePartyOrgy May 6, 2026 +35
RFK Jr is going to start promoting keeping deer mice as pets for cage litter huffing parties.
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Welshgirlie2 May 5, 2026 +831
Latest update, the ship IS going to the Canary Islands, the ship's doctor is now going to be medevac'd to the Canary Islands ahead of everyone else as he's in a serious condition. Whether the other crew member who is ill is flown back to the Netherlands as originally stated or will be taken to the Canary Islands is not known. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8pypvjx1ko
831
_donkey-brains_ May 5, 2026 +791
They can skirt around P2P all they want but the doctor being in serious condition all but absolutely confirms it's being transmitted between people. Now the only thing to find out is how close of or long of contact is necessary. The doctor would have been in very close proximity to these people and would really never suspect hantavirus so he wouldn't have been taking precautions. Maybe even being sloppy with glove use and likely not wearing a mask. We'll have to see how close of contact the other suspect cases are.
791
Persy0376 May 6, 2026 +72
And the woman (wife of 1st victim) was sick and on this plane right before she died. That is the scariest part. The folks still on the boat are quarantined at least.
72
Top_Shower_7869 May 6, 2026 +51
Not anymore. Spain said they are going to let the passengers free on Canary Islands and they will be free to fly home commercially. Everyone involved in this has been an idiot.
51
FalconBurcham May 6, 2026 +177
The doctor got hit? I knew they were full of shit when they said it’s only spread in very close contact like between married people… I asked my wife what the hell are they saying, all these people got it and died from having sex with each other? Well well well here we are several years later listening to the same kind of bullshit. 😂 We’ll just f****** find out ourselves won’t we. 😅
177
5AlarmFirefly May 6, 2026 +115
>All interactions with those who had been on the MV Hondius would happen in "special spaces and transports specifically set up for this situation", the ministry said. This is to help in "avoiding all contact with the local population and ensuring the safety of healthcare personnel", it added. Yeah we're fucked.
115
McFestus May 6, 2026 +188
We're *so* fucked. The wife of patient zero took a four hour flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg. She was sick before boarding, deteriorated rapidly in the air, and collapsed at the airport in Johannesburg, dying shortly after. She was ***at the busiest airport in Africa*** during the peak of her infection, and we didn't even figure out she had Hantavirus until nine days later.
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teriyakichicken May 6, 2026 +44
Woah I didn’t read about the wife. That’s wild
44
Four_beastlings May 6, 2026 +80
Doctors tend to be in close contact with their patients
80
Eatpineapplerightnow May 6, 2026 +109
Latest is the Canary Islands are NOT accepting them. [EDIT: Source](https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/05/06/regional-leader-of-canary-islands-rejects-hantavirus-hit-cruise-docking-there)
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Welshgirlie2 May 6, 2026 +87
Yeah just seen the BBC news update. Also, there's a patient in a Swiss hospital with hantavirus that was on the ship earlier in April. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy592qeq071t
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NewNameAgainUhg May 6, 2026 +47
Great in NL they will give him Paracetamol and tell him to come back after 2 week's
47
FalconBurcham May 6, 2026 +64
They can’t give him paracetamol, that would make him autistic. Do try to keep up, friend
64
Alexis_J_M May 5, 2026 +1416
"Although uncommon, limited human to human transmission has been reported in previous outbreaks of Andes virus (a specific species of hantavirus). WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment.". -- https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599 (From yesterday.) "The risk to the general public is low,” Van Kerkhove said, outlining that any suspected human-to-human transmission would have occurred between very close contacts like married couples. “This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID. It’s quite different." https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/africa/cruise-ship-hantavirus-who-intl (From today) --
1416
kyle787 May 5, 2026 +407
From another article posted by the AP an hour ago: > Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said the organization is investigating possible human-to-human transmission on the ship, and that officials suspect the first infected person likely contracted the virus before boarding. She said officials have been told there are no rats on board. https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-ship-cape-verde-mv-hondius-footage-c6b3db5ab10fefbd9ece0b036e47188b
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radarksu May 5, 2026 +574
I don't know how big this boat is. But the fact that they call it a ship leads me to believe that there are, in fact, rats on board. They just don't know about them.
574
OdinMinusNull May 6, 2026 +289
The MV Hondius is a ship that does Antarctica trips, which I suspect includes landing at South Georgia or the Falkland Islands every once in a while as well. (I didn't check their recent itineraries) Before a ship gets to land passengers in SG, it's checked by dogs for rodents. Not to say that an odd rat couldn't stow away on a ship like that, but it's not unreasonable to expect there to actually be none in this case
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Front_Target7908 May 6, 2026 +112
I’m surprised cruise ships don’t have resident cats 
112
possibly_maybe_no May 6, 2026 +40
Its not big for a cruise ship. 200 passengers. 
40
ScoobyDoopsDoop May 5, 2026 +191
They know about them
191
RyuugaDota May 6, 2026 +139
*I know* there's rats and mice on board. How could there not be? It's a floating town. Imagine someone saying "My town has no rats in it." *Bullshit.*
139
ABetterKamahl1234 May 6, 2026 +98
Alberta claims this status. I don't believe it, but they *do* actively hunt rats province-wide and it's illegal to have them as pets. But like, they also do international trade, albeit landlocked so no marine trade, so there's certainly rats coming in. However, that's just rats. Mice and the likes are still everywhere.
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BogeyLowenstein May 6, 2026 +78
We even have a rat hotline where you can call in a suspected rat sighting. I have lived here for over 20 years and have never seen a rat. I grew up in BC and saw them often so if there are rats here, there aren’t many
78
canada_mountains May 5, 2026 +93
> WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment.". From the BBC article and the infographic in that article, the first death was on April 11: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2p186gyp2o It's almost 4 weeks later, and there are 2 confirmed cases and 5 suspected cases. Assuming the 5 suspected cases are positive, then that's 7 people who had this virus. We will see if more people pick up this virus. But the R value seems to be low for this virus so far? If the R value stays low, that is a good thing, because it's not as contagious as covid. If it were covid on that ship, after 4 weeks, there would be way more people than 7 people who picked it up.
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_donkey-brains_ May 5, 2026 +98
Well incubation is historically quite long. Sometimes longer than 4 weeks. We could be weeks out from more cases and won't know until they either are preventatively tested or past likely incubation time.
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cycling_in_the_rain May 5, 2026 +61
The incubation time is very long, I heard up to 8 weeks, for hantavirus. So that makes it too early to say anything about who else will get ill. 
61
Otakeb May 5, 2026 +31
Does it have any contagious asymptomatic period during its incubation? That was what set alarm bells off to me that December 2019 first reading about COVID. Asymptomatic spread on a highly contagious virus is pandemic stuff, but if Hanta is less contagious and has no asymptomatic spread then it should be okay.
31
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +453
[removed]
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purple_plasmid May 5, 2026 +95
I read through the WHO report last night, and they said hantavirus was only confirmed in 2 of the victims, and they were waiting for confirmation on the others — it sounds like they’re doing their due diligence just in case, with tracking potential exposure on these flights — and even if it were the Andes strain, it’s still very difficult to transmit human to human. The cruise personnel also confirmed there were no rodents on board. I suppose another possibility is this is a new strain of the virus that is more easily transmitted from person to person — but there’s not enough evidence for that at the moment. Fingers crossed this is an isolated incident.
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jamiro11 May 5, 2026 +570
> sow how did it spread among the ship then? We're they having unprotected orgies om board or something? Something tells me you've never been about a cruise ship......
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vhante1 May 5, 2026 +96
I haven’t been on a cruise but is this not the same contact you’d expect with being at a restaurant with strangers?
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prolixdreams May 5, 2026 +106
If you lived in the restaurant together for weeks. Cruises are like dorms and prisons, even a virus that sucks at spreading will spread.
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Valuable-Aspect-6937 May 5, 2026 +213
If its an o*** restaurant, yes.
213
NoWarmEmbrace May 5, 2026 +68
Welcome to the buffet!
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meatwad75892 May 5, 2026 +50
Please use tongs, not dongs
50
SlendrmanToastCrunch May 5, 2026 +24
Instructions unclear; stuck d*** in mashed potatoes.
24
ResoluteGreen May 5, 2026 +59
And as we know, cruise ships are famously clean things that never have any rodents onboard
59
RugerRedhawk May 5, 2026 +35
And quarters are not at all close.
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Living-By-The-River May 5, 2026 +37
They were just in the Andes and Andes virus can transmit person to person. We may not know how that occurs at this stage.
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Ecsta May 5, 2026 +189
Or they got it from the same contaminated source... You know since they're all on the same ship?
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crazyreddit929 May 5, 2026 +119
Problem is, the incubation period is somewhere between 1 and 8 weeks I believe. Case 1 was symptomatic 5 days after boarding. So, it sure seems like he was infected before the cruise left
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ChilledParadox May 5, 2026 +22
how long was the cruise? if it can take 8 weeks to to incubate can the 5 extra people even be linked to the 2 married individuals?
22
crazyreddit929 May 6, 2026 +27
It has been at sea for a little over 1 month. They have not released all of the details so who knows. The others that fell ill certainly seem to be timed in a way that they could have been infected by the original couple. It will be interesting to see how the transmissions happened. Hopefully there isn’t any asymptomatic infectious people like you had with Covid.
27
accidentalquitter May 5, 2026 +147
My thought was rat or mouse poop in ice, salad greens, etc. something that wasn’t cooked and then ingested by all of these people.
147
Named_after_color May 5, 2026 +99
Yeah I'm not worried about this, I cook all my droppings.
99
userforce May 5, 2026 +12
Toss ‘em in olive oil: divine!
12
BlueFalcon89 May 5, 2026 +2706
Oh this story keeps getting scarier. Great.
2706
Old_Win8422 May 5, 2026 +1225
Its bad also because the WHO is making similar statement as at the beginning of covid...
1225
Anony-mommy May 5, 2026 +999
When Covid first trickled out I remember being glued to a first hand account on Listnook from a guy on a cruise ship who was quarantined. The news wasn't saying much at all yet. Then the first case announced in the US.. then the third.. then...
999
ModernSimian May 5, 2026 +942
People were tracking the flu outbreak in Wuhan for months before it publicly hit the news or had the name of covid.
942
gnarlysnowleopard May 5, 2026 +367
I remember reading on Listnook about it in December of 2019, by then it had already been given the name COVID-19. How much earlier did people start tracking it online? EDIT: Apparently it was officially given the name COVID-19 on the 11th of February 2020 so I'm misremembering that part.
367
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +276
[deleted]
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AnRealDinosaur May 5, 2026 +64
I was following it around that time as well in the US. Not because I have a Korean wife, but because im just an epidemiology nerd I guess. It was wild watching how hard the US was trying to ignore the situation and keep folks in the dark. Anyways Im still into following this stuff and im not worried about this.
64
crakemonk May 6, 2026 +13
Oddly, my ex sent me a video of a dude sneaking into hospitals in Wuhan and documenting the carnage in December. I was in high alert after seeing that.
13
kungpowchick_9 May 6, 2026 +12
I remember hearing about it in October. When Trump kept saying in March it was this big surprise I was furious. Because if some civilization schlub like me saw it coming, then surely they had alarm bells going off that they ignored.
12
deathbotly May 6, 2026 +22
I was working in China, but on the other side of the country, it really was like a flip switched - one day it was a bad flu season gossip and we should wear masks (common pre-covid, if you had a cold or whatever), next day it was officially COVID-19 and the timer to get out was ticking down fast as the bullet trains stopped. Ended up having to leave 90% of my belongings behind with a ‘sorry landlord but i’m fleeing the country ig lmao?? take my stuff as clean-up payment’ on wechat so I could shove everything vital into a bag and hire a private taxi to get to Shanghai from my city, highway had people in hazmat suits stopping traffic and taking temps into Shanghai and the airport was a goddamn nightmare. 
22
Anony-mommy May 5, 2026 +94
Yes.. along with many others... they don't get names until they affect enough people or have the potential to. This strain was also previously studied.
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howlongwillthislast_ May 5, 2026 +111
I was laying on my couch sick with COVID a week before the government announced it being in the US.
111
fiery_prometheus May 5, 2026 +47
Or the clips of Chinese doctors way early who were being silenced
47
Old_Win8422 May 5, 2026 +76
I mentioned this earlier! It was the cruise ship on the west coast i think in San Fran and it was super early on in covid. Its uncanny
76
Temku May 5, 2026 +50
Yep SF! I worked up there at the time and they offloaded a bunch of the people from here (or perhaps a different ship a little later) into the hotel that shared a parking lot with where I used to work. It was freaky showing up to work with the entire lot cordoned off with chain link fences and crime scene tape everywhere and the whole place surrounded by cop cars and fire trucks. Even at that time though it really hadn’t sunk in what a big deal it was going to turn out to be.
50
nicuramar May 5, 2026 +34
Yeah but it didn’t initially break out on a cruise ship, and possibly also came to the US along other routes. 
34
LyyK May 5, 2026 +129
Great time for the federal government to push for a 50% budget cut on the CDC.
129
Gerf93 May 6, 2026 +47
Yeah, also a great time for the US Federal Government to have pulled the US out of the WHO?
47
porcupinedeath May 5, 2026 +2221
Oh boy this sure would be a good time to be a member of the World Health Organization
2221
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +701
[removed]
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figwithbigtits May 5, 2026 +153
That might be the cure to hantavirus you know. Either that or bleach up the ass.
153
Cash_Visible May 5, 2026 +72
I’m taking preventive measures but it’s hard to get this bleach bottle to stay in.
72
Kevin-W May 6, 2026 +34
Just watch as Trump and RFK Jr demand that there'd be no testing to keep numbers low. Of course, the public would never stomach another lockdown.
34
Basic_Yam_715 May 5, 2026 +1164
I have a bidet and my plex server ready for lockdown 2.0!
1164
ChemPetE May 5, 2026 +190
I didn’t have plex in Covid. Wish I did haha
190
Taint_Expert May 5, 2026 +80
Covid ignited my quest for plex lmao
80
Hefty_Musician2402 May 5, 2026 +113
Don’t worry! The Trump admin will simply advise us not to count cases!
113
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +52
[deleted]
52
Basic_Yam_715 May 5, 2026 +27
If we don't test it isn't there! -Big Brain MAGA
27
Coy0te_Bongwater May 6, 2026 +191
Just picked up a deadly contagious virus better get on a plane as fast as I possibly can
191
absenteeproductivity May 5, 2026 +349
Right before world cup flights start...
349
cumulus_floccus May 5, 2026 +175
It's giving Plague Inc
175
SpicyNuggs4Lyfe May 5, 2026 +775
It's unlikely this turns into a big thing. But can you imagine having stupid fucks Trump and RFK overseeing another goddamn pandemic? This one with like a 40% death rate? It would make COVID death numbers look paltry.
775
TheWeirdWoods May 6, 2026 +190
They might actually believe it’s real if 2 out of 5 people died from it.
190
SpicyNuggs4Lyfe May 6, 2026 +244
You're giving them too much credit.
244
CremeAcrobatic1748 May 6, 2026 +136
Trump admin would call this virus the Bidenflu and then do nothing about it
136
TheNatural14063 May 6, 2026 +54
They'd probably go to some bunker, give their friends our tax money to help join them and force the rest of us to work as "essential workers" so they and their friends can make money off us.
54
coosacat May 6, 2026 +61
Oh yes, the "essential workers" that made less money than the people sitting at home drawing unemployment, risked their lives every day at work, were screamed at, spit on, etc., by angry customers, and then promptly forgotten about as soon as things started opening back up. Being an "essential worker" in 2020 destroyed my faith in humanity.
61
TheNatural14063 May 6, 2026 +40
As a fellow essential worker, same. In WNY unemployment already maxed out at $504 and with the federal boost, I knew multiple people making $1100 a week on unemployment. Meanwhile I had to work with specials needs individuals in residential homes and took home $1200 every two weeks working full time practically..... Insane to have made essentially $500 less a week. Besides some stimulus checks I didn't get anything Pathetic all the people at home fat on unemployment money were like "this is rough." I lost faith in alot of people then. No essential worker should have made a single cent less than the highest paid unemployed person
40
coosacat May 6, 2026 +12
Yeah - I worked in a damned grocery store for all of 2020. My take-home pay was about $500 every *two weeks*. Bitter doesn't come *close* to describing how I feel.
12
Sensitivevirmin May 5, 2026 +395
Can we not go through this again please. We don’t have the decency or patience to do this again.
395
12345CodeToMyLuggage May 5, 2026 +193
We have the same leadership except swap Fauchi with RFK. 😱
193
KriosDaNarwal May 6, 2026 +30
yikes
30
namitynamenamey May 5, 2026 +59
Don't worry, covid and hamtavirus are like day and night. Quarantine measures for *this* one may reasonably include flamethrowers and gates with concertina wire.
59
ezagreb May 5, 2026 +275
If only there were something like a center for disease control where they had a virus team ready to help in these sorts of situations. /s
275
OkCarrot4054 May 5, 2026 +508
I guess it’s time to hoard toilet paper again boys and girls.
508
coniferbear May 5, 2026 +64
I never stopped. Have a minimum of 30 rolls in the house at any given time. Just in case.
64
peepee2tiny May 5, 2026 +160
jokes on you, I'm still working through my toilet paper from 2021
160
J4browny May 5, 2026 +41
Someone got stuck holding the bag. /s
41
Kurtotall May 5, 2026 +87
The Doctor has it now and is being flown back in serious condition. Sounds P2P to me. Lock and load.
87
KnittingforHouselves May 6, 2026 +40
The moment I've read the doctor has it... im really calling bullshit on the "no p2p"
40
commentaror May 5, 2026 +172
It’s reassuring to know that other countries are still collaborating through the WHO so we can get this information. As of January 2026 US is the only country to have withdrawn from the WHO since its founding in 1948.
172
MonkeyVine7 May 5, 2026 +374
I remember reading stories like this in the end of 2019/early 2020.
374
Fundevin May 5, 2026 +210
That was the wildest time, talking to friends about "oh wow there's this pretty fast spreading virus in China" and everyone was like, not my problem.
210
Positive-Draft3801 May 6, 2026 +111
We had gone through SARS, West Nile and Swine flu before. None of those was like Covid. People were right to not panic, but obviously in hindsight we were stupid.
111
Intelligent-Dot-29 May 5, 2026 +184
If you see someone wearing a Mask on your flight, it’s me.
184
Zuvielify May 5, 2026 +113
People are disgusting. I pack an N95 on every flight. Anywhere I can't escape someone who is sick and choosing to infect others
113
ej_21 May 5, 2026 +55
airports and airplanes are the places I still *always* wear a mask. shit’s gross.
55
Sad-Cantaloupe2671 May 5, 2026 +37
I feel like I won’t have to worry about this, but this is where we were at in December-ish 2019 with COVID. Just hints, and then a few months later bam. “Hey, enjoy a 2 week spring break!”
37
draculasbitch May 5, 2026 +181
Hello darkness my old friend….
181
Jballzs13 May 5, 2026 +170
I thought it wasn’t transmissible between people?
170
titsmuhgeee May 5, 2026 +246
I've heard reports of a specific strain in South America that has been known to transmit between humans, which just happens to be where the Patient Zero was before going on this cruise ship.
246
CarnivorousCarrot May 5, 2026 +89
Oh yay, currently on holiday in South America
89
universalstargazer May 5, 2026 +51
Just don't go kicking up areas with potential rodent activity. Like, maybe avoid estancias or penguin tours or farm tours. Don't go caving. But really I imagine these cases were exacerbated by the close quarters of the cruise ship, and odds are if you're smart about how and where you're travelling you'll be fine.
51
CrystallisRazor May 6, 2026 +22
Dude getting hantavirus is super uncommon and listnook is blowing this way out of proportion
22
Crazed_Chemist May 5, 2026 +174
There's a strain that is believed to be human transmissible. WHO suspects that strain.
174
GingerSauce May 5, 2026 +162
This is giving me déjà from when I first started reading about covid.
162
Heavy_Contribution18 May 5, 2026 +118
It should really give you deja vu for when Ebola was sensationalized in the news years before covid
118
turtlepsp May 5, 2026 +178
Ebola had an amazing world wide response including the US government sending resources and personnel to support containing the outbreak. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responses_to_the_West_African_Ebola_virus_epidemic The work was done so well, people think Ebola spreading to Western states is not a likely event when it truly shows what happens when competent people work together to stop a disaster from happening. It's like the Y2K bug, a disaster was avoided but people thought it must have not been a big deal because "nothing" happened.
178
loveshercoffee May 6, 2026 +35
> it truly shows what happens when competent people work together to stop a disaster from happening. We are well and truly fucked if this takes hold.
35
jahathebrn May 5, 2026 +42
That was not a fun time to work in healthcare. We never once touched our Ebola-specific PPE kits but my god the patients were terrified.
42
KnittingforHouselves May 6, 2026 +12
I know a guy who was THERE helping get rid of the Ebola threat, he'scurrently working for our local governments epidemiology department. According to him, had Ebola become a big thing humanity would have been fucked, because its so contagious that normal hospitals are not prepared to keep that level of sanitation and the personal equipment necessary to care for more than a handful of patients at a time. According to this doctor, had ebola made it to the wider world, each place with a larger outbreak would have been without most medical staff within weeks, leaving people to fend for themselves, we can easily imagine how that would go. Was it sensationalised by media? Probably yes. Could it have been the absolute catastrophic even that ends civilisations? Seems so.
12
mcbeardsauce May 5, 2026 +116
Who had the 4 horseman leg parlay of new global pandemic + war with Iran + AI overlords + Epstein files still hidden
116
Velocipedique May 5, 2026 +27
Conveniently our current admin. removed US from WHO just this past January!
27
jahathebrn May 5, 2026 +318
Why the f*** were they not isolating these people when they knew what it was and that the woman who died at the hospital was showing symptoms before leaving the ship? Did no one learn anything from the past few epidemics or maybe the pandemic that shut the entire world down only six incredibly long years ago?
318
Busy-Song407 May 5, 2026 +115
The ship does not have a laboratory to do testing, and the symptoms could have been from a lot of diseases, including E. coli food poisoning and various viral diseases like Avian Influenza or Legionnaires Disease. That's what the physicians treating the woman evacuated to South Africa thought.
115
anuthertw May 5, 2026 +209
Hantavirus is not normally something contagious, that's why
209
mister_electric May 5, 2026 +165
The Andes strain is documented as passing from person to person. We are aware of strains being contagious among humans. Even if they weren't sure of the exact strain, hand-waving a f****** hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship as "probably not contagious" is absurd. This was a massive failure. Again.
165
anuthertw May 5, 2026 +134
I mean yeah, but realistically a 70 year old man getting some sort of respiratory infection and not faring so well isnt exactly novel enough to take drastic measures.  Hantavirus is rare as is, theres less than 1k cases a year in the USA so assuming the guy caught a cold or flu is wayyyyy more statistically probable.  Add on top that hantavirus only has 1 strain with potential to spread h2h makes it even rarer.  Plus I really doubt a cruise ship is going to have the ability to test every sickness there is the moment someone has a fever. I think the oceanliner did exactly what would be expected and so far things seem pretty transparent. 
134
bobbybuildsbombs May 6, 2026 +21
Yeah, people are grossly over-rstomating how likely it is that anyone would link these symptoms to hantavirus in a rapid fashion. It's also a diagnosis you really don't want to throw around because of its high mortality rate.
21
nikospkrk May 5, 2026 +47
>*Did no one learn anything from the past few epidemics or maybe the pandemic that shut the entire world down only six incredibly long years ago?* HAHAHAHAHA, good one.
47
orange728 May 5, 2026 +468
Oh, f***, here we go again. I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending
468
kaaskugg May 5, 2026 +192
*Contagion* was brilliant, I agree.
192
Nothorized May 5, 2026 +40
The conspiracy theorist played by Jude Law was such a smart move from Soderbergh, even the vaccine rollout was close to reality in some places (like the Canadian guy and his wife who went by plane to a native american place to get their vaccine before everyone else).
40
PaleInTexas May 5, 2026 +80
*Outbreak* was great too.
80
baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab May 5, 2026 +77
*Ratatouille* was great too.
77
One-Inch-Punch May 5, 2026 +71
I didn't see Contagion until 2023 but it's amazing how close it was to the pandemic. The only part they got wrong was that the government was competent
71
Discount_Extra May 5, 2026 +26
Fiction has to make sense, Reality does not.
26
SlutForThickSocks May 5, 2026 +46
Betsy Arakawa, the 65-year-old wife of actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico in February 2025. Gene hackman died a week after Bestsy, of unrelated cause, and they were both discovered later in their home
46
Beautiful_Finger4566 May 5, 2026 +44
> of unrelated cause she was his sole caretaker, so he likely died of dehydration and/or starved to death
44
SlutForThickSocks May 5, 2026 +15
Yes it is tragic. Unrelated to hantavirus as in wasnt h2h as speculated under the cruiseship conditions
15
homer_lives May 5, 2026 +12
Ok, that is where I heard about this from.
12
phluidity May 5, 2026 +12
Fortunately, from everything we know about human to human hantavirus spread, it has a very low infection rate. Which is not much comfort to the people who do get infected, of course.
12
titsmuhgeee May 5, 2026 +83
This is literally how news about COVID started. Then the case numbers just kept rising and rising until everyone freaked. The thought of a COVID style spread of something like hantavirus is terrifying.
83
Expensive-Document41 May 5, 2026 +27
There are a lot of differences though. This isn't a novel virus, doesn't seem to be as transmissable and they caught it early rather than everything being kept under wraps until the virus had widely spread in a densely populated area
27
namitynamenamey May 5, 2026 +22
It also kills about 40% of the people it infects instead of a 1-3%, so pros and cons.
22
Old_Channel44 May 5, 2026 +66
Don’t test anyone. “If you test, then you have a case. “ \~quote from Trump
66
squeezy102 May 5, 2026 +186
If this turns into another pandemic I swear to f****** god, man. I just quit. I just can’t. I’m so f****** exhausted. Can we have one f****** normal year please
186
windingsand May 5, 2026 +95
2026 has been one of the worst years me and the world have experienced in recent memory. And we’re not even halfway in
95
Short_Albatross_5402 May 5, 2026 +34
You’re looking at it the wrong way. You should rejoice and be happy that you still have another 8 full months before 2027.
34
radarksu May 5, 2026 +38
... worst years ... so far.
38
immutable_truth May 5, 2026 +14
It won’t be. But don’t expect a normal year for quite a long time.
14
AWildModAppeared May 5, 2026 +19
We’ve had one pandemic yes, but what about \*second\* pandemic?
19
ClassicCurious3823 May 6, 2026 +23
How can anyone doubt this is human transmission now? I seriously cant see there being rat and mice droppings on a luxury cruise ship. Ok the couple who got it first could have picked it up before they boarded but that doesn't explain everyone else getting sick. Unless im missing something?
23
canadiangeek2 May 6, 2026 +13
I agree, it seems like the Andes strain, which is human to human transmitted
13
Severe_Air_4353 May 5, 2026 +19
Not America thow , they claim again it’s a Democrat hoax
19
mistachelseafc May 5, 2026 +69
Who remembers the end of the planet of the apes movie where the pilot goes to the airport with the virus and to spreads world wide
69
PansophicNostradamus May 5, 2026 +19
Thankfully, California joined the WHO so we have one thin lifeline! Hope!
19
Rosebunse May 6, 2026 +18
Please, if you think this could be you, contact the proper authorities. I know this is scary but there's a good chance it can be kept at a manageable number if we all just do our best.
18
Vayloravex May 6, 2026 +17
If anybody is interested on how this virus actually spreads and operates. There is a podcast called “this podcast will Kill Me” that has an episode series on it.
17
eternalityLP May 6, 2026 +17
Nice, I was just thinking that this oil crisis is pretty boring. Another pandemic will spice things up nicely.
17
Due_Butterfly_7195 May 6, 2026 +17
I’ve always considered cruise ships ‘floating petrie dishes’. I’d never go on one.
17
Flimsy-Attention-722 May 6, 2026 +18
I'm pretty sure that's what gene hackmans wife died from
18
LaTonDicks May 6, 2026 +45
This is literally how Covid 19 started. If I start seeing random low res videos posted on listnook with people in white suits spraying off streets and carrying people away, we're in trouble.
45
mysecretissafe May 5, 2026 +30
Oh, great. Alright, well, has Johns Hopkins started a tracker yet?
30
burundilapp May 5, 2026 +31
Is this how it starts again? It feels like this is how it starts again!
31
Bitter-Tip705 May 5, 2026 +34
Why did they let them off the f****** ship????
34
Illustrious-Fruit35 May 5, 2026 +56
My homegym about to pay itself off in waves.
56
EarlyJuggernaut7091 May 5, 2026 +170
On-board in-flight dining services include such delectable dishes as rat cake, rat sorbet, rat pudding, or strawberry tart…
170
MSTRKRFTDNNR May 5, 2026 +40
Strawberry trat sounds delicious.
40
Nolsoth May 5, 2026 +49
What! No low Salt Rat Spam!?...
49
stewbert-longfellow May 5, 2026 +67
2 weeks!!!
67
MsCalendarsPlayaArt May 6, 2026 +60
2 weeks was a scientifically correct measurement at the time and would've worked to kill off the virus if people had actually followed the directions for isolation
60
HappyAnimalCracker May 6, 2026 +39
This is one of the things that has made me bitter about my species. Too damned belligerent to do things the easy way and make a minescule sacrifice so everyone in the world could benefit. While I know many wonderful individuals, as a species we are fuckheads.
39
Puzzleheaded_Sign249 May 5, 2026 +37
If I get a dollar for everytime WHO said risk is low to public between 2019 and 2021
37
muttontaco96 May 6, 2026 +11
The vessel departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on 1 April 2026 and followed an itinerary across the South Atlantic, with multiple stops in remote and ecologically diverse regions, including mainland Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island. The extent of passenger contact with local wildlife during the voyage, or prior to boarding in Ushuaia remains undetermined. DAMN, TRACKING NIGHTMARE!
11
UMustBeNooHere May 5, 2026 +57
WHO Official “We have it contained, none of the passengers traveled to the United States”. Assistant: “Sir, a passenger traveled to JFK in New York”. WHO Official: “We expect an epidemic that matches or exceeds COVID levels…”
57
Anony-mommy May 5, 2026 +56
Yea if it is airborne we're already screwed, they let this woman whose husband died on the ship off, she flew elsewhere, and died at that hospital... the whole thing wasn't taken seriously until she died. My kid's daycare has better precautions when it comes to hand foot mouth, lice, etc.
56
pfl0wers May 6, 2026 +25
I’m not doing this shit again
25
ProjectNo4090 May 6, 2026 +23
This decade is AWFUL!
23
j428h May 5, 2026 +32
It’ll be over by Easter.
32
Bmartin_ May 5, 2026 +29
HURRY GET YOUR TOILET PAPER
29
anuthertw May 5, 2026 +40
I cant help but be anxious. It's like a flashback 
40
[deleted] May 5, 2026 +43
[deleted]
43
Bunker_Bertil May 5, 2026 +28
Outbreak or Contagion – pick your poison 🦠
28
spacegrab May 5, 2026 +19
Andromeda Strain too 😂 the airport scene omg
19
im_thatoneguy May 5, 2026 +16
Don’t forget the airport scene in 12 Monkeys
16
Gullible_Language358 May 6, 2026 +10
Not great But because symptoms can appear up to eight weeks after exposure, "the passengers could have been incubating the disease if they acquired it within the country or elsewhere in the world," Juan Facundo Petrina, director of epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego province, told The Associated Press in an interview from Ushuaia. He noted that the province hasn't historically seen hantavirus cases, but infections have broken out in other Argentine provinces, leading to 28 deaths nationwide last year, according to the health ministry. [Hantavirus possibly transmitted human to human on stranded cruise ship, WHO says](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spain-agrees-welcome-hantavirus-cruise-ship-who/)
10
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