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Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship: Origins and Insights into the Deadly Virus

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The cruise ship MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of Cape Verde.

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An outbreak of hantavirus has been reported on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, anchored off the coast of Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean. This virus can result in severe illness in humans, with a mortality rate of up to 50%.

So far, seven individuals have been infected, with three fatalities confirmed.

Understanding Hantavirus

Hantaviruses are a category of viruses carried by rodents known to cause severe illnesses in humans. Infection typically occurs through exposure to infected rodents or their urine, feces, or saliva.

Different hantaviruses cause various clinical syndromes across the globe. In the Americas, they can lead to a severe illness known as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which has a fatality rate of about 50%. In Europe and Asia, they primarily cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), affecting kidneys and blood vessels.

It is estimated that there are 10,000 to over 100,000 hantavirus infections annually worldwide, with the highest rates in Asia and Europe.

The specific strain of hantavirus affecting those on board the ship remains unidentified. “There are multiple species, at least 24, that can be harmful to humans,” says Adam Taylor, a researcher at Lancaster University, UK. “Until we determine which strains are involved, we cannot fully understand the situation.”

Where Was the Ship Located?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been notified of this outbreak. On May 2, a statement announced an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness onboard the MV Hondius, including two fatalities and one critically ill passenger.

The cruise departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, and traveled across the South Atlantic, with stops including Antarctica, South Georgia, Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, and Ascension Island. WHO identified the Argentine port as a focal point for investigations into the outbreak due to the presence of the Andes virus, known for limited person-to-person transmission in South America.

A total of 147 individuals from 23 nationalities were onboard, consisting of 88 passengers and 59 crew members. The extent of contact with local wildlife during the voyage remains unclear, as per WHO’s statement.

What Are the Symptoms of Hantavirus?

Initial symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, headaches, and gastrointestinal issues. Some patients may develop respiratory complications. Diagnosis typically involves specialized blood tests.

How Does Hantavirus Spread?

The primary route of infection is contact with infected rodents, particularly through inhalation of virus particles from contaminated rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.

“For this reason, investigations often focus on potential exposure to rodent-contaminated areas,” stated Roger Hewson from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Hantaviruses are not generally believed to be easily transmissible between humans.”

While rarer, infection may also occur through rodent bites. High-risk activities include cleaning poorly ventilated spaces, farming, and sleeping in rodent-infested environments. According to WHO, human-to-human transmission has only been recorded for the Andes virus in the Americas, occurring with close and prolonged contact, mainly among family and intimate partners, particularly during the early stages of the disease.

Current Outlook on the Infection Spread

According to Taylor, there is no need for panic. “Transmission of hantaviruses usually requires contact with animal products, not person-to-person contact,” he emphasized. “While precautions are in place on board, they are just that—precautions.”

Hewson added that it’s crucial not to make assumptions based on the cruise ship context. “Infection confirmation among passengers does not clarify whether the exposure occurred on the ship, prior to embarkation, during shore excursions, or through common environmental contact,” he remarked. “Therefore, public health surveillance, lab confirmations, and possible virus sequencing are vital.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Container Ship Trials New System to Capture Its Own CO2 Emissions

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Approximately 3% of all carbon emissions come from shipping

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A container ship with a total length of 240 meters. sounion trader recently completed testing its onboard carbon capture system while cruising around the Persian Gulf. The ship has space to hold tons of carbon dioxide, joining a small but growing number of ships seeking to reduce their impact on climate change by capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions onboard. is difficult to find.

“We're miniaturizing systems that were designed for huge power plants,” he says. Louja Wen Seabound, a UK-based startup that is helping test run Sounion Trader.

Shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global CO2 emissions. To reduce it, shippers are using cleaner fuels, painting their hulls with foam to improve fuel efficiency, and even going back to sail. However, short-term options for achieving the industry's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 are limited.

Another possibility is to capture ship emissions. keep on board, but faces major obstacles. One is to provide energy to recharge the chemical adsorbents used to absorb CO2. tristan smith Researchers at University College London say some existing systems increase fuel use by a third just to capture half of the CO2 emissions.

The system, and the carbon it captures, also takes up space on the ship that would normally be used for valuable cargo. “Space is an issue,” he says. jasper ross At the Dutch research institute TNO. “Especially when you're talking about long voyages.” About three tonnes of CO2 is produced for every tonne of fuel burned. George Malupas At the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute. Once captured and stored, the added mass can affect the ship's stability and reduce fuel efficiency.

Wen said Seabound's small-scale tests captured about 1 tonne of CO2 per day. Although this is only a fraction of the ship's overall emissions, a full-scale system could capture as much as 95 percent of the ship's CO2, she says.

To save energy, Seabound moves some of its processes onshore. On ships, the exhaust air passes through a calcium oxide adsorbent and reacts with CO2 to form solid calcium carbonate pebbles. The company will then wait to refill the adsorbent until the pebbles are offloaded at the port for permanent storage. The tradeoff is space. Seabound's approach means the ship must carry tanks of sorbent with every ton of her CO2 captured. Still, Wen said the company aims to retrofit 1,000 ships for carbon capture by 2030.

Dutch company Value Maritime has taken a similar approach, using liquid amine adsorbents to capture carbon dioxide and refill it offshore. Yvette van der Sonmen Value Maritime says 26 ships are currently using its system in parallel with existing sulfur pollution scrubbers to capture up to 40 percent of CO2 in their exhaust, but the process is still being managed by third parties. Not certified by She said the company sells some of the captured CO2 to greenhouses to use as fertilizer for plants, but much of it remains in tanks at the port.

Such systems may now look attractive for reducing emissions, Smith says. However, the rapid scale-up of cleaner transportation fuels could quickly make them obsolete unless very high recovery rates can be achieved at sufficiently low costs. “The shipping industry currently has a very short window to decarbonize, because it has been very slow to start decarbonizing,” he says.

Source: www.newscientist.com