The Hantavirus infection of passengers in a Cruise ship has got many people worried worldwide.

The Dutch ship- MV Hondius – departed from Argentina on 1 April, with about 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries.

Some passengers seem to have picked up the infection in Argentina. At least two people are reported to have died of the Hantavirus infection.

It is important to remember that Hantavirus infection is not always deadly. Lot of people do seem to recover from it. But some people can develop serious lung problems or Kidney and bleeding problems.

The ship has now arrived at Canary Islands and passengers will be expected to go their own countries.

The experts are reassuring the public by pointing out the Hantavirus infection is very different from COVID-19 . The WHO experts does not seem to be worried about another pandemic.

The virus can take more time to cause symptoms and that’s why returning British cruise passengers face a 45 day isolation (quarantine ). As the experts learn more about this subtype of virus, precautions may change in future.

It is important that everyone looks at source of information on social media and resist the urge to forward sensationalist messages from untrustworthy sources.

How to get reliable trustworthy information?

If possible, do not pay attention to information from social media sources, which are not a well sourced.

Try the mainstream newspapers and TV news. (eg BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News) for latest information.

Try official sources in UK and USA. ( eg . UK Health security agency, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION CDC.gov)

References

BBC News 10th May 2026. Plane carrying passengers from cruise ship hit by virus lands in UK.

BBC News. Hantavirus outbreak not the start of a pandemic, WHO says, as five cases confirmed on cruise ship. 6 May 2026

BBC News. Britons on hantavirus cruise ship face 45 days of self-isolation.

Wiki. List of newspapers in the United Kingdom

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). What is hantavirus? How is it transmitted and what are the symptoms? Blog Editor, 5 May 2026

CDC: U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: Hantavirus

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