U.S Hantavirus Outbreak BREAKING: 3 of 8 Infected Die Due to Virus DEADLIER Than Covid| U.S in Panic

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:16]A cruise ship, 147 passengers, a deadly virus that kills up to 50% of the people it infects. And right now, people from that ship are back home in the United States: Arizona, California, Georgia. This is not a movie. This is happening in May 2026, and the virus in question, it makes COVID's death rate look small.

[00:00:42]>> [music] >> Meet Hantavirus and why health officials are watching very, very carefully.

[00:00:48]The MV Hondius, a Dutch expedition cruise ship, departed Ushuaia, Argentina in early April 2026 >> [music] >> on what was supposed to be a dream voyage: Antarctica, South Georgia, remote Atlantic islands. 147 people aboard, passengers and crew from 23 different countries, including Americans. [music] But, somewhere along the route, something invisible came aboard, too. By April 6th, a 70-year-old Dutchman had a fever, headache, [music] and mild stomach trouble. Five days later, he was dead. Respiratory failure on a ship with nowhere to go. His wife fell ill next.

[00:01:30]She was evacuated at Saint Helena [music] and died in Johannesburg on April 26th. Then, a British passenger, >> [music] >> then a German. By early May, the ship was anchored off Cape Verde, >> [music] >> denied entry to port. Three dead, one critically ill in an ICU.

[00:01:47]>> [music] >> Passengers evacuated in full protective gear. The WHO notified.

[00:01:52]>> [music] >> So, where did it come from?

[00:01:54]Investigators believe it started on land, [music] A rodent watch-watching excursion near a landfill in Argentina.

[00:02:01]Rodent droppings, rodent urine. That is all it takes with this virus. You breathe in microscopic particles and hantavirus is inside [music] you. And here is what makes this strain especially chilling. It is the Andes virus, one of the only hantaviruses in the world that can spread from person to person.

[00:02:21]Here is where it gets close to home.

[00:02:23]Around 23 passengers disembarked at earlier stops and flew home before anyone even knew there was an outbreak.

[00:02:31]Some of them are in the United States right now. Health officials are monitoring people in Arizona, California, and Georgia. The CDC is involved. One passenger who returned to Switzerland already tested positive. As of now, the US cases show no symptoms, but hantavirus has an incubation period of 1 to 8 weeks, which means the clock is still running. Now, the big question.

[00:02:57]Is hantavirus more dangerous than COVID?

[00:03:00]On pure lethality, yes, [music] dramatically. COVID's overall fatality rate was around 1 to 2% globally.

[00:03:07]Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the form on this ship, kills 40 to 50% of those infected, nearly one in two. The Andes strain can pass between people in very close, prolonged contact, but it is not a respiratory [music] pandemic pathogen.

[00:03:25]The WHO's current risk to the global public? Low. This is not 2020, but 50% mortality is 50% mortality, >> [music] >> and that demands respect. Here is what you need to know. If you or anyone you know was on the MV Hondius [music] or traveled with someone who was, watch for fever, headache, muscle aches, or breathing difficulty in the coming [music] weeks. See a doctor immediately and mention possible exposure. For everyone else, the risk is low. This is not a pandemic, [music] but this outbreak is a warning shot.

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