![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2212200037-e0f2.jpg\")
\n\t\tFootball manager Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl was diagnosed with hantavirus in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tFootball manager Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl was diagnosed with hantavirus in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus<\/a> on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean \u2014 and previous sufferers have shared their scary experiences with the infection.<\/p>\n The MV Hondius<\/a> departed from Argentina on April 1 and was scheduled to make its final stop in Cape Verde<\/a> after a 33-day cruise. However, officials in the West African nation refused to allow passengers to disembark.<\/p>\n After three days anchored off the archipelago, the ship is now sailing towards Spain\u2019s Canary Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, former Southampton<\/a> manager\u00a0<\/strong>Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl has opened up about his terrifying battle with\u00a0hantavirus in 2012, revealing that the near-fatal ordeal caused his organs to expand and his heart rate to plummet.<\/p>\n However, Hasenh\u00fcttl, who was around 44 at the time, didn\u2019t catch the virus in an exotic location. He actually caught it at home, sweeping his terrace.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Mirror,<\/a> Hasenh\u00fcttl said that at first he confused his symptoms with exhaustion, having recently returned from a mountain bike ride during a training camp.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a><\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \t\t Unbeknownst to him, his body was actually showing signs he had contracted hantavirus.<\/p>\n He said: \u2018I went to bed and that\u2019s when the pain in my head started. It felt like there was a needle in my head. Then I started to notice severe back pain. It felt like there was a knife in my back.\u2019<\/p>\n Hasenh\u00fcttl said that doctors later found the virus was causing his liver and kidneys to rapidly expand and press against his other organs, causing the back pain.<\/p>\n He spent two weeks in intensive care, but even after he was released, the ordeal was not over. The former manager said he was \u2018out for such a long time\u2019 after contracting the disease.<\/p>\n \u2018My heartbeat would wake me up because of how intense it was; I would just feel this thud in my chest,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n \t\t Hasenh\u00fcttl also noted that his weight fluctuated, causing his kidneys to weaken.<\/p>\n He described recovery as a \u2018waiting game,\u2019 adding that he tried to \u2018push away from bad thoughts\u2019 because he felt young, healthy and strong.<\/p>\n \u2018I thought, \u2018Why should I die from a virus?\u2019<\/p>\n Finally, Hasenh\u00fcttl said that doctors found the source of the infection.<\/p>\n \u2018I was cleaning the terrace without a mask, and I think I inhaled the dust,\u2019 he said. \u2018It takes about two to three weeks until it breaks out and symptoms show.\u2019<\/p>\n Previous sufferers share their experience<\/p>\n A handful of other people have spoken about their experiences of hantavirus.<\/p>\n Canadian Lorne Warburton was admitted to the hospital in 2023<\/a> and put on life support after contracting the disease. Speaking to BBC Outside Source, he described the sickness as \u2018torture\u2019 and \u2018hell on Earth.\u2019<\/p>\n Having started with \u2018COVID-type symptoms, body aches, a chronic headache and fatigue,\u2019 things soon escalated, and Warburton became \u2018drenched in sweat and couldn\u2019t breathe.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Warburton said: \u2018The degree of illness and sickness that I went through was hell on earth, it was torture, to go through that and to be able to bounce back.\u2019<\/p>\n Thankfully, after three weeks in hospital, he made a full recovery.<\/p>\n In 2019, Christian Ege from Germany was also diagnosed with hantavirus. Like Warbuton, he developed COVID-like symptoms that felt like a \u2018strange flu.\u2019<\/p>\n For three days, Ege suffered from stomach flu, vomiting, and dizziness before a blood test confirmed he had kidney failure and sepsis. Ege was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he spent days in the ICU with a neck catheter for dialysis access.<\/p>\n Ege told the BBC: \u2018The kidneys recovered normally, but it was the coincidence of a bacterial and a viral escalation at the same time that was a bit worrying for a couple of days for sure.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t In the days since the MV Hondius outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed five cases of the virus, with three more suspected. A third British national<\/a> connected with the ship has \u2018suspected hantavirus\u2019, it was revealed today.<\/p>\n In a press conference earlier this week, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the UN Health<\/a> Agency, stated that, though this is \u2018not the next COVID,<\/a>\u2019 it\u2019s still a \u2018serious infection.\u2019<\/p>\n She continued: \u2018The risk to the general public is low\u2026 I really just want to assure people, this is something quite different.\u2019<\/p>\n What is hantavirus?<\/p>\n The World Health Organisation describes hantaviruses as a \u2018group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans.\u2019<\/p>\n It states that people typically get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.<\/p>\n Hantavirus infections can cause a range of illnesses, including severe disease and even death, as we\u2019ve sadly seen on the MV Hondius cruise ship.<\/p>\n WHO adds that hantavirus has a history of manifesting in different ways, depending on geographical location.<\/p>\n \t\t In the Americas, infection \u2018has been known to lead to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.\u2019<\/p>\n In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses \u2018have been known to cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels.\u2019<\/p>\n What are the symptoms of hantavirus?<\/p>\n WHO notes that hantavirus symptoms in humans usually begin between one and eight weeks after exposure. <\/p>\n However, the timeline<\/a> depends on the type of virus the individual has been infected with.<\/p>\n Still, typical symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.<\/p>\n Depending on the virus type, there are other symptoms to look out for, too.<\/p>\n \t\t Those suffering from HCPS may develop a cough and shortness of breath due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs.<\/p>\n In HFRS patients, later stages of infection can include low blood pressure, bleeding disorders and kidney failure.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, hantavirus can be difficult to diagnose early, as many of the symptoms are also present in other common febrile (having or showing the symptoms of a fever) or respiratory illnesses.<\/p>\n According to WHO, this includes influenza, COVID-19<\/a>, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue or sepsis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hantavirus treatment<\/p>\n The government<\/a> website states that currently there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infections.<\/p>\n Rather, treatment is \u2018supportive and based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.\u2019<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"CAPE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2274208430.jpg\")
\n\t\tA hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius has led to three deaths (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2210997618-bb55.jpg\")
\n\t\tHasenh\u00fcttl said the virus caused his organs to expand (Picture: Neil Baynes\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"SAINT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_296112429-e0af.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe MV Hondius is on its way to the Canary Islands(Picture: Emin Yogurtcuoglu\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"epaselect](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_296274304-0d5a.jpg\")
\n\t\tCivil Guard officers and local policemen are preparing for the ship to dock in the Canaries (Picture: EPA)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_296137615-a801.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe World Health Organisation has confirmed five cases of illness (Picture: REUTERS)<\/p>\n![\"FILE](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_296196088-d852.jpg\")
\n\t\tMV Hondius was travelling to Cape Verde from Argentina (Picture: AP)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Bill Gates-backed vaccine group warned hantavirus \u2018could be next pandemic\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: CPR instructor has real life heart attack while pretending to have one<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Mum shares \u2018unreal\u2019 moment she met transplant recipient who received daughter\u2019s hand<\/a><\/p>\n