Hantavirus cruise ship investigators reveal strong theory on disease's origin
Argentinian investigators theorize that a Dutch couple who birdwatched and stopped by a landfill brought the hantavirus aboard the MV Hondias
Investigators believe that the deadly hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch-flagged luxury cruise may have originated from a bird-watching trip in Argentina.
Argentinian investigators theorize that a Dutch couple contracted the virus while birdwatching in Ushuaiai, a city in Argentina. The couple reportedly visited a landfill where they may have been exposed to infected rodents.
The anonymous officials shared their theory with the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Previously, authorities said that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a case of the hantavirus.
So far, a Dutch passenger lost their life aboard the MV Hondias on April 11, followed by the death of the initial patient's wife on April 27, with authorities confirming a variant of hantavirus. Subsequently, a German passenger passed away on May 2, though the cause remains unconfirmed.
Spanish Health Minister gives updates on infected passengers
A British doctor who was aboard the luxury cruise ship that was impacted by a deadly hantavirus outbreak is no longer in critical condition.
Spanish health minister Monica Garcia provided an update about the British national, 56, identified as the ship's doctor, who was flown to the Netherlands to receive medical treatment alongside two others who were suspected to be infected with the deadly rodent-borne virus.
Garcia confirmed that the doctor's condition shifted from "critical" to "stable."
The cruise ship's operator, Oceanwide, said in a statement that two of the three patients being sent to the Netherlands are "symptomatic" and in "serious condition."
The British doctor is currently asymptomatic and was "closely associated" with the German citizen who died onboard the ship on May 2, according to Oceanwide.
Furthermore, the ship will dock in the Canary Islands despite strong pushback from its leader, Fernando Clavijo, who opposed docking in Tenerife. Clavijo had raised concerns that there was not “sufficient information” to guarantee public safety.
Garcia said during the press conference that all passengers remaining on the ship are currently exhibiting no symptoms of the virus and will be evacuated once they dock in Tenerife.
Garcia emphasized that the passengers posed "no risk" to Canary Island citizens and that the protocol would "avoid contact" with them.
Spanish citizens will quarantine on a Madrid military base, and people from other countries will be repatriated if they have no symptoms. There are 14 Spanish citizens aboard the ship.
My Daughter’s Bruises Made Her Mother Turn Into a Monster They Never Saw Coming
CHAPTER 1 — THE BRUISES SHE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO SEE
The night Doña Elena discovered the bruises, she stopped being just a mother.
And became something far more dangerous.
She had only come to her daughter’s home with simple things—homemade chicken soup, warm sweet bread, and prenatal vitamins Valeria always forgot to take.
The gated community in Metepec looked perfect from the outside.
Perfect lawns.
Perfect security.
Perfect silence.
The kind of place where nothing bad was supposed to happen.
Valeria, twenty-eight and seven months pregnant, lay curled on her side when she opened the door.
Her face was pale.
Too pale.
“Mom… you shouldn’t have come this late.”
“I’m your mother,” Elena said softly. “If your back hurts, I’d come even in a hailstorm.”
But the moment she stepped inside, something felt wrong.
No music.
No warmth.
No dinner smell.
Just silence.
Heavy. Artificial. Controlled.
When Elena adjusted the blanket over Valeria’s legs, her fingers stopped mid-air.
Dark purple bruises covered her daughter’s thighs.
Deep.
Irregular.
Not accidental.
Violent.
“Who did this to you?”
Valeria froze.
“No, Mom… please don’t ask.”
Elena’s breath caught.
“Did Adrián do this?”
Silence answered louder than words.
Valeria broke.
“He said no one would believe me… that he knows judges, police, prosecutors… he said if I speak, he’ll take my baby.”
That night, something inside Elena didn’t break.
It hardened.
Before leaving, she kissed her daughter’s forehead.
And whispered:
“I’ll come back.”
