Hantavirus: The Deadly Virus Hidden in Mouse Droppings

A deadly hantavirus outbreak linked to the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has placed this rare but dangerous disease back into international headlines. In this episode of the Everyone Dies podcast, we explain what hantavirus is, how it spreads, why symptoms are often mistaken for the flu, and what people need to know to stay safe. https://bit.ly/3PyMztS

You will learn:

• How hantavirus spreads
• The difference between Old World and New World hantaviruses
• Early warning signs and symptoms
• Why breathing problems can develop rapidly
• The incubation period after exposure
• Safe cleaning practices for rodent droppings
• How to reduce rodent exposure in homes, cabins, campers, and sheds

Hantavirus infections are rare, but the disease can become deadly very quickly. Awareness, prevention, and early medical attention may save lives.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro: What You Need to Know about Hantavirus
01:57 - Recipe of the Week: Prune Bacon Jam Crustini
02:25 - Current State of Hantavirus Response in America
07:47 - Hantavirus: What it is and How It's Transmitted
09:53 - Why a Long Incubation Time is Problematic
13:12 - Hantavirus Symptoms and When to Seek Medical Attention
18:28 - "When I Go" by Donna Ashworth
19:55 - Outro

Related Episode:

S6E32: When a Cough Becomes a Killer: What Everyone Needs to Know About Pneumonia

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Everyone Dies. Relax and settle in for our podcast about serious illness, dying, death, and bereavement. Because even though everyone dies, no one must face it unprepared.

A rare virus linked to cruise ship deaths has been in international headlines. It's called Hantavirus, and while infections are uncommon, the disease can become deadly very quickly. Most people become infected after exposure to rodent droppings in places like sheds, campers, cabins, or garages.

Early symptoms often feel like the flu, but some people rapidly develop severe breathing problems and respiratory failure. Today we're talking about what Hantavirus is, how it spreads, why health officials are concerned about the recent outbreak, and what simple steps may help protect you and your family. I'm Marianne Matzo, a nurse practitioner, and I use my experience from working as a nurse for 48 years, jeez Charlie, 48 years, to experience your questions about what happens at the end of life.

And I'm Charlie Navarrette, an actor in New York City, and here to offer an every-person viewpoint to our podcast. We're both here because we believe that the more you know, the better prepared you are to make difficult decisions. And remember, this podcast does not provide medical nor legal advice.

Please listen to the complete disclosure at the end of the recording. In the first half, Charlie has thoughts about the current state of emergency response in the United States and our recipe of the week. In the second half, I'm talking about Hantavirus.

And in our third half, Charlie has a poem by Donna Asper. So Charlie, yes, do you got a recipe for us? Maybe. Our recipe this week is for prune bacon jam crostini, which is absolutely scrumptious.

It might sound a little different from a normal crostini, but the flavors of prunes, bacon, and goat cheese on a toasted baguette are incredible together. The people at your next funeral lunch are going to love it. Passengers that experience a Hantavirus outbreak have been brought back to the U.S. Most of them are being monitored for symptoms in a national quarantine unit in Nebraska.

But other passengers disembarked the ship in mid-April and returned to the U.S. before the outbreak was known. Twenty-six MV Hondias passengers disembarked at St. Helena, a British territory, on April 24th. Seven Americans from that group are now back in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and Virginia.

None are currently known to be ill, but what is still unknown is, one, how these Americans traveled home and who they may have exposed en route, two, whether they have self-isolated or been quarantined since their return, or three, whether they have been monitored or undergone repeated viral testing. With a U.S. citizen's home, who is watching these potentially exposed formal passengers? Normally, CDC and state health departments would be monitoring their health and provide the public with regular updates. The federal response was a slow release of public information at a time of enhanced concern.

A formal health advisory to U.S. clinicians and health departments was not sent out until days after the CDC had already notified at least six states that American passengers had returned. It sounded like there were several people who had come back to the U.S. but were just out and about in the community without any monitoring, even though they had potentially been exposed to a Hanta virus that could transmit person-to-person. There were seven people living in Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia.

States are monitoring those seven people, but some states are monitoring others as well. Officials have been tracing people who are on a flight from the remote island of St. Helena to Johannesburg, South Africa. That's because the widow of the first person who died of Hanta virus, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, was on that flight and she was symptomatic.

She died not long after they had landed. We know of at least nine people from that flight who are in the U.S. now. One in California, two in New Jersey, two in Maryland, one in Minnesota, and three in Kansas.

So the total number of people who are being monitored in the U.S. is about 34. MedPage Today learned of two more air travel passengers in Washington state who were being monitored, bringing the total to 36. However, the CDC reported a total of 41 people being monitored.

They will be assessed and officials keep saying that they will have the option to serve out their quarantine at home. That will only be after a significant assessment to make sure that they can do so safely and that they have access to critical care should the need arise. One of the doctors from UNMC stated, if it were me, I would choose to stay in quarantine right here because it gives me the best chance of survival should I develop this illness.

As for those currently doing home quarantine, according to the CDC guidance, anyone who is aboard that ship as of April 6th, the day the first passenger died, is at high risk and should really curtail their contact with the outside world. No medical appointments, no travel, work from home. Hopefully people are abiding by those rules and submitting to surveillance by local public health authorities in the interest of keeping us all safe and making sure that this doesn't spread to others.

The difficult part is that the recommended quarantine is 42 days and that's the upper limit of the incubation period for hantavirus or the strain of the hantavirus called Andes virus. Most people will develop the disease sooner than that, within a week or two, maybe three, but it's a really long incubation period and that does make this all a bit trickier to manage. Please go to our web page for this week's recipe and additional resources for this program.

This is the part where we ask for your financial support. Your tax-deductible gift will go directly to supporting our non-profit journalism so that we can remain accessible to everyone. You can donate at www.everyonedies.org. That's every the number one dies.org or at our site on patreon under everyone dies.

Marianne. Thanks Charlie. Thanks Charlie.

In some parts of the world, rodents carry a rare virus called hantavirus that can become deadly very quickly. You may remember hearing about hantavirus after the death of actor Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arcara in 2025. Now, international headlines are again focused on hantavirus because of a deadly outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Honduras.

As of this week, at least three deaths and multiple confirmed infections have been associated with the outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship. Health officials from the World Health Organization and the CDC and European public health agencies are monitoring passengers and crew across several countries. Hantavirus is not the new COVID.

Hantavirus infections remain rare so there's no reason to panic. Understanding the disease matters because symptoms can progress rapidly and early warning signs are often mistaken for the flu. Hantavirus is not a single virus.

It is a family of viruses carried primarily by rodents. In the United States, the deer mouse is the most common carrier but other rodents such as rats and moles are carriers. Infected rodents don't get symptoms but the virus replicates in their cells.

It sometimes spills over into other animals including humans and can cause severe disease and even death. There are two general types of hantaviruses. Old world hantaviruses typically found in Europe and Asia generally affect the kidneys.

The death rate is 15 percent or less. New world hantavirus such as the one causing the outbreak on the Honduras occur in North and South America. The best known strains of this type are the Andes virus, the strain that was confirmed in the cruise ship outbreak, and the Sinnobre virus which likely caused the death of Betsy Arcara, Gene Hackman's wife, in March of 25.

Most hantaviruses spread to humans through contact with infected rodent urine, saliva, or droppings. People usually become infected after breathing in tiny airborne particles while cleaning enclosed spaces contaminated by rodents. Cabins, sheds, barns, garages, campers, attics, and storage buildings are common exposure sites.

The illness caused in North America is called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or HPS. It can lead to sudden respiratory failure and has a high death rate. There was one reported hantavirus death in May 18, 2026 in the United States, just south of Denver.

Health officials said the individual was infected by the Sinnobre hantavirus which is the most common cause of HPS in North America. Between four and ten days after the initial phase of illness, symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest can emerge, the CDC said, adding that a patient's lungs can fill with fluid. The MV Hondias departed Argentina in April 2026 on a long expedition voyage through remote South Atlantic regions.

During the voyage, several passengers became ill with fever and respiratory symptoms. At least three passengers later died. What makes this outbreak especially concerning is the suspected involvement of the anti-strain of hantavirus.

Most hantaviruses do not spread from person to person, but the anti-strain is unusual because limited human-to-human transmission has been documented, particularly during prolonged close contact. At this point, investigators believe that the original exposure may have come from rodent contact before or during the voyage. Health officials are still studying whether some infections may also have spread between passengers in close quarters aboard the ship.

Global health agencies continue to say the overall risk to the general public remains low. One of the difficult things about hantavirus is that people often feel completely normal for days or even weeks after exposure. The incubation period, meaning the time between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms, is usually between one and eight weeks, although most people become sick within two to four weeks after exposure.

This means someone may clean out their garage, camper, barn, shed, or cabin and not become ill until much later. Because of that delay, people often do not connect their symptoms to rodent exposure, which makes diagnosis more difficult. By the time fever, muscle aches, and fatigue begin, the exposure event may already be forgotten.

Once submissions start, however, the illness can progress very quickly. Many people move from flu-like symptoms to severe breathing difficulty within 24 to 48 hours. This rapid progression is one reason hantavirus should be taken seriously.

People should seek immediate medical attention if they develop fever, muscle aches, fatigue, shortness of breath, especially if they've had possible rodent exposure in the previous several weeks. One of the dangers of hantavirus is that early symptoms aren't easy to dismiss. Most people first develop fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, chills, nausea, and vomiting.

Some people also develop abdominal pain or diarrhea. At first it can feel like the flu or another common viral illness, but within several days, symptoms may suddenly worsen. As the infection progresses, fluid can build up in the lungs.

People may develop shortness of breath, chest tightness, severe coughing, rapid breathing, low oxygen levels. Many patients require intensive care and mechanical ventilation. The death rate for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is estimated to be approximately 35 to 40 percent, even with advanced medical treatment, which is why early medical attention is so important.

You can stay safe by practicing good prevention practices. First, do not sweep or vacuum mousetrappings. Sweeping can force virus particles into the air where they can be breathed in.

Instead, open doors and windows for at least 30 minutes before cleaning. Wear gloves. Thoroughly wet contaminated areas with disinfectant or bleach solution.

Wipe up materials with paper towels. Place waste and seal the plastic bags, and wash your hands carefully afterward. I'd probably take a shower and wash my hair and get it all out, but that's me.

The CDC recommends using bleach cleaning solution made from one part bleach to 10 parts water. So if you use a cup of bleach, you want 10 cups of water. Since rodents access homes and buildings, you want to seal the holes and cracks, store your food securely, remove nesting materials and clutter, keep your pet food covered, and trim vegetation around structures.

If you like to camp, stay in cabins, or travel to remote areas, use extra caution. Avoid sleeping near rodent droppings or nests, store your food carefully, and if you're opening a cabin, a camper, or a storage building after long periods of closure, air it out before you go in. The cruise ship outbreak is also a reminder that infectious diseases can appear unexpectedly during travel, especially in enclosed environments where people spend long periods together.

Anyone who develops flu-like symptoms after possible rodent exposure should seek medical care immediately, especially if breathing problems begin. Tell health care practitioners about any possible rodent exposure, travel history, or contact with someone diagnosed with hantavirus. Early recognition may improve survival because people can receive supportive care before severe lung failure develops.

Hantavirus remains rare, and most people will never encounter it, but rare diseases still matter because they remind us how connected health, environment, travel, and human behavior really are. A simple act like sweeping a shed, cleaning a camper, opening a long closed cabin, can sometimes carry hidden risks. The recent cruise ship deaths also remind us that infectious diseases do not always appear where we expect them.

Even in modern settings with advanced medical care, nature can still surprise us. Knowledge and awareness matters, as small preventive actions can save lives, even your own. Charlie? You know, it just seems that in general, I mean, infectious bugs, you know, insects, I don't know, it just seems to be expanding, growing, that there's more of this, and it just slowly seems to be, you know, bugs and insects we just didn't think twice about, I don't know, it just seems to be spreading more.

I don't know because it's of the climate changing, but yeah, it just, more of these things we just never, you know, thought of just seem to be growing more and more. Make a stop, Marianne. All right, I'm on it, Charles.

Thank you, thank you very much. Okay, I'm here. For our third half, when I go by, for our third half, a poem, when I go by Donna Ashworth from her book Loss.

When I go, don't learn to live without me, just learn to live with my love in a different way. And if you need to see me, close your eyes or look in your shadow when the sun shines. I'm there.

Sit with me in the quiet and you will know that I did not leave. There is no leaving when a soul is blended with another. When I go, don't learn to live without me, just learn to look for me in the moments.

I will be there. Please stay tuned for the continuing saga of Everyone Dies and thank you for listening. You can find more episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow and subscribe to the show. Share it with someone today. This is Charlie Navarette and from philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah, one of the ordinary sorrows of life is to watch a parent in whose arms we were once so small grow smaller in hours.

And I'm Marianne Matzo and we'll see you next week. Remember, every day is a gift. This podcast does not provide medical advice.

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If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Everyone Dies does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, practitioners, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned in this podcast. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast by persons appearing on this podcast at the invitation of Everyone Dies or by other members is solely at your own risk.