Faith’s Take:
Most people know, whether from Tiktok or from the news, that we are seeing the beginning of an outbreak of Hantavirus. This may sound familiar since the outbreak of Covid-19 was merely seven years ago. But the begging question on everyone’s minds is if this will become like covid did, and send the world into a lockdown once again.
On April 1, 2026, the MV Hondius cruise ship departed from Argentina, and on April 6, 2026, the first passenger started experiencing symptoms of Hantavirus. The first fatality due to Hantavirus occurred on April 11, with two more deaths following later in the month. With three deaths total, the cruise ship was stranded in the middle of the ocean, with no country willing to let them dock due to the danger of the virus spreading. Usually with Hantavirus, this wouldn’t be a concern, but it has been confirmed that the strain of Hantavirus being passed around on the ship is the Andes virus strain, the only strain that can be passed between humans. Due to this, the situation became an ethical question, with many people voicing their opinions to not let the people off the boat. But passengers, one in particular, made a Tiktok video begging to be let off the cruise ship to go home to his family.
So the MV Hondius docked in the Canary Islands on May 10 and let all passengers off. Each and every person on the boat got a thorough health screening and were sent back to their home countries a couple days later. The passengers on board that are citizens of the United States have been sent to the National Quarantine Unit at Nebraska Medical Center for close monitoring. Of 18 total passengers, 15 are still in the Quarantine Unit, one is in the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, and two are in a unit at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Nebraska Medicine is sharing updates periodically and states that all passengers are currently asymptomatic and that the risk to the general public is low.
Being in Nebraska, the uncertainty is high about possibly bringing Hantavirus here. But the Nebraska Medicine has dealt with similar situations many times before, including taking in the first few Covid-19 patients and some Ebola patients not too long ago. Right
now most medical professionals are encouraging the public to not be worried about this because it is not the same as Covid-19.
Ellen’s Take:
Everyone wanted 2026 to be the next 2016, but it looks like we might get 2020 back instead. A recent cruise ship experienced an outbreak of an old disease that is new to many: Hantavirus. Several cruise ship passengers have been confirmed deceased and people everywhere are concerned about the possibility of a second pandemic. Public health officials have stated that the risk to the public is minimal, but worry and skepticism have been arising across the population.
Hantavirus is spread to humans from infected rat droppings, urine, or saliva. Symptoms initially are similar to the flu: fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headaches. However, the disease progresses to be more critical within 4-10 days as most patients have difficulty with breathing. One of the most scary statistics surrounding the Hantavirus is that it causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) which kills 40% of the patients diagnosed by filling the lungs with fluid, disabling patients from the ability to breathe. After initial exposure, symptoms may appear as soon as one week and as late as eight weeks. As of right now, there is no cure meaning that prevention is critical.
The only strain of Hantavirus that can be transmitted person-to-person is the Andes strain. If that sounds familiar, it should as this specific strain is in fact the same strain that has been discovered on the Dutch expedition cruise ship that has made headlines nationwide. Many people vocalized their stances on the situation on social media with the most popular concensuses surrounding fears of a new pandemic and their proposal to not let the passengers off the ship until the virus is contained. Instead, the passengers were let off of the ship and several of them are currently being quarantined right here in Nebraska.
18 total passengers were transported into the US off of the ship and 16 of them are currently in Omaha, Nebraska. But why is smack dab in the middle of America the right spot to quarantine patients of a disease with a 40% fatality rate? Well, Nebraska is the home to the National Quarantine Unit, which is the only federally funded quarantine facility in the US. This Unit is near the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus and is one of the best facilities in the nation.
Even though the use of this facility might be new, it is not. Back in 2014, the Units contained two scientists who tested positive for Ebola and again during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently 15 of the 16 passengers in Nebraska are in the Quarantine Unit. However, there is one individual who has tested positive and is being held at the Biocontainment Unit.
All of the medical staff at these centers are highly qualified and prepared to deal with these kinds of situations. Although the possibility of another National shutdown seems scary, as we all deal with a little PTSD from the 2020 pandemic, as of right now, there is no need for panic within the general population. Health and local government officials are working diligently to give these individuals the best possible care while ensuring the welfare of the rest of the nation.
