Hantavirus Survivors Describe Illness as 'Hell on Earth' After Dutch Cruise Ship Deaths

Lorne Warburton had never heard of hantavirus until March 2023, when he landed in a hospital on life support. The Canadian told BBC Outside Source his symptoms started like Covid, with body aches, a chronic headache and fatigue. They worsened fast. He was drenched in sweat and could not breathe.

Doctors diagnosed hantavirus after hooking him to a life support machine. He spent about three weeks in the hospital. "The 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," he said.

In Germany, Christin Ege faced similar Covid-like symptoms in May 2019. He had stomach flu for three days, with vomiting and dizziness that felt like a strange flu. A blood test sent him to the hospital, where kidney failure and sepsis followed. He spent a few days in intensive care with a neck catheter for dialysis.

"The 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," Ege told the BBC. Sepsis worried him most.

Warburton and Ege count among hantavirus survivors. Some strains kill 20% to 40% of victims. Both shared their stories after a rare strain appeared in patients from a deadly outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.

Three passengers have died since the ship left Argentina for an Atlantic voyage about a month ago. The operator confirmed Wednesday that three people, including one Briton, were evacuated to the Netherlands for treatment. Media identified the Briton as 56-year-old former police officer Martin Anstee, now in stable condition.

Anstee's wife, Nicola, told the Daily Telegraph it had been "a very dramatic few days" and "a bit up and down for him."

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed Wednesday that two British people are self-isolating at home in the UK after possible hantavirus exposure.

The MV Hondius, anchored for three days near Cape Verde off West Africa, now heads to Spain's Canary Islands.

Hantaviruses take their name from a South Korean river. The World Health Organization lists more than 20 species. Rodents spread them mainly through dried urine and droppings inhaled into the air. Bites from rats or other rodents can transmit the virus too.

Warburton thinks he got it from mouse droppings while shaking a rug in his attic. Authorities commissioned a biologist who found a positive sample in Ege's garden. His son had spotted a dead mouse there days before.

No widely available vaccine or specific antiviral exists for hantavirus. Treatment focuses on symptoms with hospital care and breathing support.

Warburton went home after his stay but took a year and a half to regain full strength. "Very slow," he called the process. "There are micro baby-steps of recovery where I take two steps forward and four steps back."

A frozen shoulder added extreme pain after discharge. "I had to rebuild my shoulder before I could start working on other things," he said.

Ege recovered fully in four months with no lasting damage but found the timeline longer than expected. Dialysis took a toll on his body.

Warburton now manages atrial fibrillation with daily heart medication. "My heart is not synching, the chambers aren't synching properly," he said. "I have a strong heart but it's not in proper rhythm."

He thanks his medical team and raises funds for equipment and renovations at his local health foundation.

Ege called his ordeal humbling. "It was a hard time, hard days, but many many people suffering more than me," he said. "I appreciate even the smallest little details that most people wouldn't even acknowledge or see going through daily life."

In intensive care, he went two weeks without fluids. "I just remember having that sip of fresh clean water was the best thing I ever tasted in my life."