Hantavirus outbreak: cruising for a biological bruising

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Science Radio, Engineering, Naked Scientists, Natural Sciences, Technology, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Medicine, Science

4.6 • 957 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we explore an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius. Cambridge virologist Colin Crump explains how the outbreak of this viral disease may have occurred; Emory University's Boghuma Titanji explores the clinical impact of hantavirus infection; Amesh Adalja at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security explains how the disease passes into humans; and the World Health Organization's Maria van Kerkhove on the international response... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	All engine running.
0:03.0	Absolutely genius.
0:04.2	Welcome.
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0:06.0	This is the show where we bring you science.
0:07.7	What that potentially means is discovery is advances.
0:10.9	Research.
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0:13.5	Without further ado, this is the Naked Scientists.
0:16.8	Hello, welcome to the Naked Scientist podcast, the show that brings you the biggest
0:20.5	breakthroughs and talks to the major movers and shakers in the worlds of science, technology and medicine.
0:26.5	I'm Chris Smith and today, Hanta virus aboard the MV Hondius.
0:31.2	We're exploring how the outbreak of this viral disease could have occurred on this cruise, what happens to the people who've been affected and how
0:38.2	the international community is responding.
0:49.6	On the 1st of April, the M.V. Hondius cruise ship set sail from Argentina.
0:56.3	Just over a week later, one passenger suddenly became ill and died.
1:00.8	At the time, natural causes were suspected, but in the days following, more people fell ill,
1:06.3	including some who'd already disembarked and were en route home internationally. At this point,
1:12.6	it was recognised that the cause was an unusual and thankfully relatively rare disease
1:17.5	with a high mortality rate called hantavirus. And specifically, it was a form of hantavirus
1:23.8	called the Andes virus, specific to the Americas, and usually carried by rodents.
	...

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