Hantavirus, a new virus outbreak, is now concerning people and the government after the COVID-19 outbreak, which has halted the whole World for more than three years. Now, Hantavirus is making headlines after three deaths were reported on a cruise ship.
Hantavirus, also known as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) or Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS), is primarily carried by rodents and spreads to humans who inhale airborne particles from mice and rat droppings, urine and saliva, according to the US CDC. It can also spread through a bite or scratch from a rodent.
Indian Doctor on Hantavirus
The deaths aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius have forced medical communities to start research about this new outbreak across the globe. Dr Pradeep Bajad, a Senior Consultant in Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, said it's not shocking and not serious. He said these types of patterns were seen early, which masquerade as something harmless and then turn catastrophic almost overnight, reported The Times of India.
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According to Dr Bajad, Hantavirus is not new to the world, but its symptoms are still misunderstood. He said this misunderstanding of symptoms makes the virus more dangerous to living beings.
Hantavirus Causes and Symptoms
Unlike the COVID-19 virus, the common symptoms are a cold, which does not spread from one person to another. It will not spread from a sneezing person to you on a vehicle on a person on move. The virus spreads through microscopic particles. It is spread when people inhale microscopic particles spread by rodent urine, droppings or saliva.
Hantavirus spreads more in places that do not have ventilation, such as cruise ships, warehouses, low-ventilated buildings, and basements. etc.
Early symptoms will include low-temperature fever, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, a feeling like the flu or infection and developing a cold. At the initial stage, the patient will not feel a serious condition and feels like it will go away easily.
According to Dr Bajad, these silent symptoms are actually misleading as illness typically feels like any other viral infection, such as low-grade fever, muscle aches, fatigue, which give signals that something is not serious, but that silent phase is a misnomer.
WHO Describes HPS Symptoms of Infected People on Ship
Onboard ship MV Hondius, the adult male on April 6, 2026, developed symptoms like fever, headache and mild diarrhoea. On April 11, the man faced a respiratory problem and died on the same day, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Another female patient, who was in close contact with an adult male, stepped down on the seashore at Saint Helena on April 24, 2026, with gastrointestinal symptoms. Her health worsened during a flight to Johannesburg in South Africa on April 25 and she died upon arrival at the emergency department of the hospital on April 26.
"An adult male presented to the ship's doctor on 24 April 2026 with febrile illness, shortness of breath and signs of pneumonia. On 26 April, his condition worsened. He was medically evacuated from Ascension to South Africa on 27 April, where he is currently hospitalised in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," it has shared an update on the third patient. The fourth patient, now dead, had shown symptoms of pneumonia with fever and a general feeling of being unwell.
As of 4 May 2026, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected cases) have been identified, including three deaths, one critically ill patient and three individuals reporting mild symptoms, the UN health agency said.
HPS Hantavirus Symptoms: Fatigue, Fever, Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders, Coughing, Shortness of breath, Tightness in the chest as lungs fill with fluid.
HPS is most likely to occur in the Western Hemisphere. It is considered to be deadlier than HFRS and mostly attacks the lungs.
HFRS Symptoms: Intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, Fever, Nausea, blurred vision. HFRS is more likely to occur in Europe and Asia. It mostly affects the kidneys. Usually, signs develop within one to two weeks after exposure to the virus.
Hantavirus Treatment
There is no specific treatment or vaccine until now for Hantavirus disease, but medicines to recover from cold, cough and fever can help to stop infecting taking the next level. The medical treatment can help a person treat low blood pressure and low oxygen levels.
Prevention
To stop spreaders of Hantavirus, it's important to avoid contact with contaminated places, including preventing yourself from inhaling rodent drops when cleaning homes or other enclosed areas which was abounded for a long period of time.