Infected, at sea: how the deadly hantavirus turned a dream cruise into tragedy

"As the MV Hondius sailed out of Ushuaia, the most southerly city on Earth, on 1 April, the grey skies above Tierra del Fuego lifted, lighting up the fresh snow on the mountaintops and the autumnal tree cover closer to shore. Eighty-eight passengers and 61 crew of 23 nationalities had boarded the small polar-class vessel for its 35-day Atlantic expedition from the Argentinian province to Cape Verde, via some of the most remote islands on the planet."

"A little over a month later, things were very different. Three passengers were dead after an outbreak of hantavirus a disease with a high mortality rate for which there is no cure. The Hondius, having previously stopped at South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha and St Helena, had reached Cape Verde, but the authorities there refused to let passengers disembark."

"We're not just a story, we're not just headlines, we are people people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home, he said. There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home."

"And so, six years after early outbreaks of Covid at sea forced some cruise ships to sail from country to country seeking somewhere to dock, a cruise vessel, its trapped passengers and a little-known virus were once more in the global spotlight. Unlike Covid-19, however, which was caused by a novel strain of coronavirus, the sickness onb"

MV Hondius departed Ushuaia on 1 April for a 35-day Atlantic expedition to Cape Verde via remote islands. Passengers and crew from 23 nationalities saw whales, dolphins, albatrosses, and sea lions early in the voyage. About a month later, conditions changed after an outbreak of hantavirus, a disease with high mortality and no cure. Three passengers died. After stops at South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, and St Helena, the ship reached Cape Verde, but authorities there refused to allow passengers to disembark. A travel blogger posted a tearful video describing uncertainty, fear, and the desire for safety, clarity, and a way to get home.

Read at www.theguardian.com