Health officials in Paris say French woman who contracted disease on MV Hondius is on ventilator in intensive care

The head of the World Health Organization has warned countries to prepare for more hantavirus cases after the outbreak onboard the MV Hondius, and thanked Spain for the “compassion and solidarity” it had shown by taking in the stricken cruise ship and evacuating its passengers and crew.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to follow the WHO’s advice and recommendations, which include a 42-day quarantine and constant monitoring of high-risk contacts.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak, but of course the situation could change and, given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” he told a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday.

  • Banana@sh.itjust.works
    374·
    2 days ago

    Hantavirus is not nearly as contagious as something like COVID and requires close, prolonged contact and sharing of respiratory secretions or saliva to spread. Its important to be wary of hantavirus, but the best thing you can do instead of panicking is to educate yourself on it.

    Ever swept your garage? You were putting yourself at risk for hantavirus. A lot of people don’t know this. Read up on the way it spreads and where it originates (usually rodent droppings – it’s no surprise this happened on a cruise ship as they are pretty well known vectors of disease), and how to properly deal with things like that.

    I understand why you feel worried and that is valid, but channel that energy into educating yourself and those in your circles so you’re prepared.