The segment reports a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, which departed Argentina and is now off Cape Verde before being rerouted to Spain's Canary Islands. Seven passengers are believed infected, three have died, and one is critically ill. Two patients were airlifted, and another is in ICU in South Africa. The World Health Organization and health authorities are coordinating evacuations and investigations. Passenger Jake Rossmaren, an American, voices the desire for safety, clarity, and a return home. Medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder explains that hantavirus is a rodent‑borne virus, typically transmitted via inhalation of contaminated dust, and is exceedingly rare in humans. She discusses the Andes strain, which can spread person‑to‑person through prolonged close contact, though it is not highly transmissible. Gounder outlines protective measures such as respirators, gloves, avoiding sweeping, and using bleach, and notes the challenges faced by public‑health agencies in responding to the outbreak.
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A cruise ship quarantined off West Africa is now expected to go to Spain's Canary Islands after 2 people with the dangerous hantavirus are airlifted off the ship. 3 passengers have died. Health officials now say the illness may have spread between passengers. Tom Hanson has more from an American on board.
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Jake Rossmaren is one of 150 passengers, including more than a dozen Americans, stuck on board the MV Hondius cruise ship. This morning, the World Health Organization said the ship will continue to Spain's Canary Islands after 2 passengers with the dangerous hantavirus are medically evacuated. The cruise ship is currently off the coast of the West African nation of Cape Verde.
All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home.
7 passengers are believed to have gotten hantavirus. 3 have died and 1 person who is critically ill has already been hospitalized. The crew set sail from Argentina more than 4 weeks ago on a journey to remote locations, including a visit to Antarctica. But the suspected hantavirus outbreak, which is typically spread through contact with rodents, has left them stranded.
They were doing, you know, a lot of things with wildlife. So our assumption is they were infected off the boat and then joined the cruise.
For CBS Mornings, I'm Tom Hanson.
All right, so let's talk about this with medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder. She is also editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. Dr. Gounder, good morning. For those who may remember, the hantavirus was a contributing factor in the death of Gene Hackman's wife. So what is it and how do you get infected?
So hantavirus is a family of viruses that infect rodents, so rats and mice. You get infected usually by breathing dust that has been contaminated by rodent droppings or urine. I think I need to emphasize this is exceedingly rare. There have been fewer than 900 cases over 30 years in the United States. Now we know there have been at least 3 deaths related to this particular cluster. As we said, 2 people airlifted, at least 1 person in the ICU in South Africa, and there are additional people who are currently being tested.
So it spreads from person to person?
Well, rarely. So there's a particular form of hantavirus called Andes virus, which spreads in Argentina and Chile, and so this crew cruise ship took off from Argentina, which is why we're wondering, is it the usual kind or is it a kind that can be transmitted person to person? Now, the biggest outbreak of that was in 2018 and in Argentina, involving 34 cases. 11 people died. So it's quite a high case fatality rate. But I think it's important again to emphasize that this is a virus that requires prolonged close contact. This is not a pandemic kind of virus.
How can you protect yourself from it?
Uh, so cleaning— if you're going to be cleaning, um, droppings, other kinds of things related to rodent contamination. You want to have a respirator, gloves. You don't want to be sweeping or vacuuming because that can kick up the dust. Use watered-down bleach to help it settle. They're also going to have to investigate the cruise ship. What's the source? Who, you know, getting the testing done? How was it transmitted? And this is really the work of public health agencies like the CDC that's been gutted. And we've pulled out of WHO. So we're a little bit, you know, caught flat-footed here.
