'Hantavirus is no laughing matter': Dr. Bogoch on outbreak ravaging cruise ship

Añadido: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]We have an inside look at the cruise ship where the deadly hover is causing global alarm. A passenger aboard the cruise ship filmed the captain discussing the first death. The first death was back on April 12. The same passenger left the ship on April 24th.

[00:00:14]Here's that video.

[00:00:17]>> This is my sub duty to inform you that one of our passengers sadly passed away last night.

[00:00:29]Uh tragic as it is, it was due to natural causes. We believe I'm told by the doctor, but not infectious. So the ship is safe when it comes to that. Anyways, uh the ship is safe.

[00:00:45]This gentleman unfortunately succumb to natural causes.

[00:00:50]>> In response to the viral video, the ship's operator said at the time of that announcement, there was no evidence that a virus was on board. Okay, fast forward to now and that cruise ship has a deadly virus outbreak. Three people have died and today three other passengers were evacuated, including the ship's doctor.

[00:01:07]Look at this chilling photo posted by the head of the WHO. It shows a person on a gurnie. That person is suspected of being a havirus patient. The three passengers evacuated today are now in the Netherlands for treatment. Another patients in intensive care in South Africa. Health officials in South Africa say that they have identified 62 people who had contact with people who left the ship and another former passenger is being treated in Switzerland. Meanwhile, as more and more people are getting alarmed, who's top epidemic official says, quote, "This is not the next co."

[00:01:40]End quote. So, where's the ship headed now? It is heading to Spain's Canary Islands. It will take three to four days to get there. Upon arrival, Spain's health minister says non- Spanish citizens will be sent back to their native countries. The 14 Spaniards aboard the ship will be brought to Madrid to quarantine. Officials say the remaining passengers on the ship are not showing any symptoms. By the way, the Hent virus is a rodent born illness. It usually spreads through rodent droppings. The mortality rate is high.

[00:02:09]It's about 30 to 40%. So, what is the source of this HA virus outbreak? Two officials from Argentina spoke anonymously to the Associated Press.

[00:02:19]They said the Dutch couple who died last month got the virus while visiting a landfill during a bird watching tour in Argentina. Of course, these two anonymous sources speaking to the AP don't say how they know that people got the virus that way. And note, authorities previously said that the area where the Dutch couple visited had never recorded a case of the Hanta virus. infectious disease specialist and general internist at Toronto General Hospital, professor at the University of Toronto, Dr. I Isaac Bogosh joins me.

[00:02:48]Nice to see you back, sir.

[00:02:50]>> And this seems curious to me.

[00:02:52]>> This seems curious to me is that the passengers who get off in Spain are going to be sent to quarantine, the Spanish ones, and then the other ones are going to be sent home to their home countries on I assume on airplanes.

[00:03:03]They're not getting quarantined. So, uh I I don't know why, but if if they're going to quarantine the Spanish ones, why are they letting the other ones hop on planes to go to their their home countries?

[00:03:13]>> Yeah. Well, I mean, we didn't see this happen at all during CO where at all, right? Where you have different regions, different countries, different public health bodies taking completely different actions and you know, unfortunately, that thoroughly confuses people and breeds more mistrust among uh healthcare and public health, which is very unfortunate. We should have a unified standardized approach here. And if people are being quarantined, it should be it should be universal.

[00:03:39]>> Well, okay. Well, then it's either Spain's got it wrong on, you know, letting everybody go or Spain's got it wrong on quarantine the Spanish who um who are disembarking there. Um a doctor uh the ship's doctor was taken off. He's sick. Uh I guess that when you deal with sick people, you're likely to get sick.

[00:03:56]But your thoughts on that?

[00:03:57]>> Poor guy. I really feel bad for him.

[00:03:59]Obviously, I feel terrible for everybody impacted, but here's a a physician on a ship and and as a physician, I know others as well. You we see sick people all the time. We uh know that we can be in harm's way. We take uh appropriate precautions to protect ourselves so that we can continue to do our jobs and and do it and do so safely. And I just wish him uh a speedy and full recovery. And as as you pointed out, antivirus is no laughing matter. It's a very very serious viral illness and it carries a mortality rate upwards of 25%. Uh so if someone is symptomatic sadly they're they're in for a rough ride and I wish them well.

[00:04:35]>> How how long is the virus active? I mean if you have the virus let's say that I I I hear that it's is it aerosol or is it droplets that it spreads by?

[00:04:45]>> Yeah, it would be through the air. it would be through the air. And in fact, when most people acquire this from uh an exposure to nature, like droppings of a mouse or a rodent, they typically are disturbing it like they're sweeping or brushing an area off and you can accidentally aerosolize viral particles in that and then accidentally inhale it.

[00:05:04]Of course, if someone's sick and there's a lot of viral replication in the respiratory tract, if you're coughing, you can aerosolize that as well.

[00:05:11]Interestingly, when you look at other outbreaks of this exact same virus, for example, a very notable outbreak of this in uh 2018 in Argentina, um the people who became ill with this from persontoperson contact were almost exclusively very close contact. So, uh for example, there was a case of a person who was sick with this who went to a birthday party. There were about a hundred other people at that birthday party. But the five people who became ill with this virus from the ill individual who went to this birthday party were all in very close proximity and usually at the same table.

[00:05:43]Similarly, other people that got this infection from humanto human transmission were like family contacts, household contacts. Uh so it appears that of course it is transmissible from person to person, but the data we have today demonstrates that you typically have to be in pretty close proximity to to have that.

[00:06:01]>> All right, let's say it's the it's from a rodent. Um, and uh, how long can it sit there and still be an activated virus? Is the rodent the rodent u rodent urine or whatever and then the rodent lives? How long is that virus active and at risk?

[00:06:14]>> The short answer, nobody really knows, but a longer answer is that it's probably for quite a while. So, you know, it's it's it's difficult to say.

[00:06:23]And the important point is, listen, if people are cleaning up uh an attic, uh barn, a shed, and there's rodent droppings there, rather than sweeping it up or or vacuuming it up, the best thing to do is to get a a liquid spray, a commercially available product with bleach in it, or you can make your own bleachbased products by diluting bleach with some water and spraying the area, dampening down the area so that the viral particles aren't aerosolized when it's being wiped up >> or or stuck on the end of the broom for the next time you use the broom. room and you stick it up in the air. Anyway, doctor, thank you very much for joining me again.

[00:06:57]>> My pleasure.