Quarantine

A Dutch cruise ship called the MV Hondius made headlines this month after three passengers died from a rare virus during a trip near Antarctica. Eight people on board got sick. Officials say the public should not panic — and they have good reasons.

The illness is called hantavirus. It normally spreads from rodents to people through contact with mouse droppings, urine, or saliva. The most important thing to know: this is not like COVID. It does not spread through the air. You can't catch it from someone walking past you or sharing a room briefly. It only passes between people through very close contact — things like kissing or handling a sick person's bedding — which is why it spread on a small ship where people lived together for weeks.

It is serious when caught. About 38% of people who develop breathing problems from it die, and there is no specific cure. Symptoms can take up to 6 weeks to appear, so health workers are tracking passengers and their close contacts.

The ship docked in the Canary Islands on May 10, and passengers are flying home from more than 20 countries.

Should you worry? The CDC says no — routine travel can continue as normal, and the risk to the public is "extremely low." As the head of the World Health Organization put it: "This is not another COVID. They shouldn't be scared, and they shouldn't panic."