00:03A cruise ship stranded in open waters, passengers locked inside their cabins,
00:10three people dead, and a virus most of the world has never heard of.
00:16This isn't another COVID moment, but it's a warning of how unpredictable the next outbreak can be.
00:24Off the coast of Praia, emergency teams in full protective gear approach a ship that has become the center of
00:31a global health concern.
00:33Inside, uncertainty, isolation, and a virus that doesn't follow the rules.
00:44Hantavirus isn't new. It was first identified during the Korean War, when soldiers fell ill with a mysterious disease.
00:51The virus takes its name from the Hantan River, but what makes Hanta virus different is where it comes from.
00:59Humans typically get infected by inhaling microscopic particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva.
01:06No bite required. No direct contact needed. Just contaminated air.
01:16But here's the critical detail. Not all Hanta viruses behave the same way.
01:22Most strains do not spread between humans.
01:26But one rare variant, the antistrain, can.
01:31That strain has been detected in parts of South America,
01:35raising urgent questions about what exactly is on board this ship.
01:44Hanta virus doesn't just infect the lungs.
01:47It triggers an extreme immune reaction.
01:50Blood vessels begin to leak fluid, flooding the lungs from within.
01:55Doctors call it Hanta virus pulmonary syndrome.
01:59Patients can go from mild symptoms to life-threatening respiratory failure in hours.
02:09Now, this rare virus has appeared in an unlikely place.
02:14A cruise ship.
02:15A controlled environment.
02:17Far from forests.
02:19Far from rodents.
02:20I normally wouldn't make a video like this,
02:22but I feel like I need to say something,
02:25so I wrote a few things down.
02:26I am currently on board the MD Hondias.
02:30And what's happening right now is very real for all of us here.
02:34Even more puzzling.
02:36No rodents have been found on board,
02:38which means the infection likely started somewhere else.
02:47Investigators believe the virus may have originated before the ship ever set sail.
02:52Passengers had traveled through the regions of South America,
02:56areas where Hanta virus naturally circulates and wildlife.
03:00We're not just a story.
03:03We're not just headlines.
03:05We're people.
03:07People with families.
03:08With lives.
03:10With people waiting for us at home.
03:15There's a lot of uncertainty.
03:17And that's the hardest part.
03:18In a confined space like a ship,
03:21even a rare transmission becomes a serious threat.
03:29As of today,
03:30seven individuals of the 147 passengers and crew
03:34have been reported ill.
03:36Sadly, three have died.
03:38One patient is in intensive care in South Africa,
03:41although we understand that this patient is improving.
03:44While two patients are still on board the ship
03:46and are being prepared for medical evacuation
03:48to the Netherlands for treatment.
03:51Seven cases,
03:52three deaths,
03:53and a rapidly evolving situation.
03:56Hanta virus infection was confirmed by laboratory tests
03:59in two of the patients
04:00by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa.
04:04And further tests,
04:05including sequencing of the virus,
04:07is being conducted by NICD,
04:09as well as testing of the symptomatic patients on board,
04:12those two individuals,
04:13with the support from Institut Pasteur of Dakar in Senegal.
04:17Scientists are now racing to sequence the virus
04:20to understand whether it has changed.
04:26All we want right now is to feel safe,
04:30to have clarity,
04:32and to get home.
04:33So if you're seeing coverage about this,
04:36just remember
04:37that there are real people behind it
04:39and that this isn't something happening somewhere far away.
04:43It's happening to us right now.
04:47I'll share more when I can,
04:48but for now,
04:49I just ask for your kindness and understanding.
04:53For those inside,
04:54this isn't just a health crisis.
04:57It's fear,
04:58isolation,
04:59and waiting.
05:04In relation to the antivirus,
05:06I want to send a message of tranquility.
05:08We are evaluating the situation
05:09along with the World Health Organization,
05:11along with the OMS.
05:12We are going to take the necessary measures
05:13to address this situation.
05:15In fact,
05:16at the 1,
05:17there is a meeting that is going to be celebrated
05:19between the OMS
05:20and the government of Spain.
05:22I would say that everything is ready
05:23to be ready for the attention,
05:24for the evaluation,
05:25for, in their case,
05:27the disinfection,
05:28if so,
05:28it requires the OMS.
05:29But, I insist,
05:30in these minutes,
05:30in these moments,
05:31given the time that is,
05:32a meeting between the OMS and the government of Spain.
05:36Countries coordinate,
05:37ports hesitate,
05:38and decisions are made in real time.
05:45The risk to the general public is low.
05:49This is not a virus that spreads like flu or like COVID.
05:52It's quite different.
05:53That's the key difference.
05:55Unlike COVID-19,
05:56Hunter virus does not spread easily through the air
05:59in everyday situations.
06:01Transmission,
06:02when it happens,
06:03requires close,
06:04prolonged contact.
06:10Simple steps,
06:11but critical ones.
06:13Avoid rodent exposure,
06:15ventilate enclosed spaces,
06:17use masks
06:18when cleaning dust,
06:20store food securely.
06:22This is not the next pandemic,
06:25but it's a reminder
06:26that even rare viruses
06:28can find their moment.
06:30A ship in isolation,
06:31a virus under investigation,
06:33and a world watching closely
06:35for what comes next.
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