Cruise Ship Lawyers Blog
There are at least 10 probable and confirmed cases of hantavirus related to those who were aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship with at least two deaths, according to national media.
The incident, which has garnered global attention, began on May 2, when the World Health Organization was notified of severe respiratory illnesses among passengers and crew aboard the ship. Among the dead are an elderly couple from the Netherlands. As of Thursday, May 14, the status of at least one other person who was infected has yet to be confirmed.
This week, at least 16 American passengers who were aboard the ship were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Approximately 15 of them are being monitored in a quarantine unit. One other had initially tested positive and was in a separate unit until that person tested negative. Once their test came back, they were medically cleared to go to the quarantine unit. Two other American passengers were taken to Atlanta for further assessment, according to ABC News.
As of Thursday, March 14, three people, who were exposed to an infected individual aboard the ship but were not passengers, were under monitoring by the Kansas Department of Health for potential infection. It was not immediately clear whether any of the three people were showing any symptoms. In North Dakota, five people who were exposed to the virus were being monitored by state health department officials. None of the five were aboard the ship, ABC News reporters said.
As panic and misinformation continue to spread online, the Centers for Disease Control has issued several statements regarding the spread of the virus.
“This outbreak is not like the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk to the American public is extremely low,” officials said on the CDC website. “Andes virus does not spread easily from person-to-person like a respiratory virus like COVID-19. The risk of a pandemic caused by this outbreak and the overall risk to the American public and travelers remains extremely low.”
What is Hantavirus?
The hantavirus is one in a family of viruses that is spread by rodents, including rats and mice. Infection can cause severe and sometimes fatal respiratory or renal infections in people. While rarer that COVID-19, which has killed an estimated 7 million people since the start of the pandemic in 2020, hantavirus is far deadlier. In others, infections may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). This is a very serious illness with a reported fatality rate of about 40%.
There is no cure, but early detection and medical intervention can increase the chances of survival.
People can get hantavirus by breathing in dust contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. They can also become infected by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. WHO has stated that person-to-person transmission is rare, but some strains — such as the Andes virus — can spread this way. The Andes virus is found primarily in South America and has been associated with transmission through close, prolonged contact. Signs and symptoms of HPS due to Andes virus may be seen in four to 42 days after exposure, according to WHO officials.
Hantavirus Timeline
The first known outbreak of hantavirus was in the 1950s during the Korean War, NBC News reported. At that time, about 3,000 United Nations troops were suffering from mysterious symptoms later identified as hantavirus. In 1978, the virus was linked to a rodent near South Korea’s Hantan River, giving the illness its moniker.
In 1993, the first case of hantavirus was diagnosed in North America with an outbreak occurring just three years later in 1996, marking the first person-to-person transmission, the new agency reported.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners, a firm known for its dedication to clients and dogged pursuit of justice, has over five decades of experience handling cruise ship cases. From tragic excursion deaths to slip and falls and severe injuries caused by a ship’s medical personnel, our skilled trial attorneys have seen just about every injury that can occur at sea and their devastating consequences.
As common carriers, these cruise ships have an irrefutable duty of care to ensure the safety of all passengers, and that includes having adequately trained medical staff to deal with injuries and illnesses on board. However, because these ships sail in foreign waters, U.S. medical-licensing standards don’t always apply. Cruise lines are only required to have a “qualified medical practitioner” on board, meaning that these individual’s qualifications van vary and may not meet U.S. standards on land.
Previous Cruise Ship Medical Negligence Cases
Previously, the firm represented a 9-month-old whose meningococcal meningitis was misdiagnosed by a stomach bug. As a result of this error, the infant underwent multiple amputations. Leesfield & Partners secured an over $5.5 million award for the family in that case.
A retired nurse who suffered a horrific accident aboard a ship required a life-saving blood transfusion. As the result of cruise medical staff negligently failing to test the blood they administered to the woman, she was diagnosed with HIV. The firm settled the case for $4.25 million.
In addition to errors made while treating patients, Leesfield & Partners has seen doctors delay or deny evacuations for patients who were in the middle of medical emergencies. These delays can occur for a myriad of reasons, however, for our clients, these decisions were made to protect the ship’s schedule and bottom line. As a result, medical situations were exacerbated, leading to further injury and death.
One family who was represented by Leesfield & Partners went on a cruise to mark a milestone anniversary. Instead of a fun-filled family vacation, our clients suffered a tremendous loss that began with their patriarch suffering a heart attack while the ship was still in port. He was denied evacuation and the ship left for its destination, and he later died.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar recovery in that case.
A teenager who suffered a stroke on a ship was written off for her age, despite the obvious symptoms. The case was later settled for $3 million.
In another case, the firm secured $1.5 million for a person having a stroke while on a cruise ship.
Trial Attorney Carlos Fabano recently settled a confidential case on behalf of the family of a wife and mother to three minor children who died after a cruise ship’s medical personnel failed to evacuate her while she suffered from a medical episode.
If you or a loved one was injured while in medical distress aboard a cruise ship, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today to see if you may be eligible to make a claim.
