Passenger on Hantavirus-Stricken Expedition Ship Shares Update After 3 Deaths

A passenger trapped on an expedition ship amid a hantavirus outbreak shared an updated statement with Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

Jake Rosmarin, a travel blogger from Boston, is aboard the Dutch vessel M/V Hondius. The ship left Argentina on April 1 for a weeks-long polar cruise to Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic. The first illness and death occurred on April 11. The ship reached Saint Helena on April 22 with the first victim onboard. It now remains off the coast of Cape Verde.

In a tearful video posted to Instagram on Monday, Rosmarin said, "All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity and to get home."

"Other than the two ill passengers that have already been referenced in the media, everyone else onboard is doing well and remains in good spirits," Rosmarin said Tuesday. "We are hopeful that this situation will be resolved soon."

Rosmarin praised the crew of Oceanwide Expeditions for their best efforts to keep passengers safe, informed and as comfortable as possible.

He noted that the M/V Hondius is not a traditional cruise ship but an expedition vessel. "These ships operate with strict protocols and a strong emphasis on cleanliness, especially given the remote and environmentally sensitive regions they visit, which require high levels of biosecurity," he said. "The vessel is maintained to a very high standard, and suggestions that it is unclean are not accurate."

Rosmarin detailed current safety measures, including social distancing and masking. "Passengers also have the option to have meals delivered directly to their cabins," he said. "Access to the outer decks is permitted for fresh air, while gathering in indoor common areas such as the lounge is currently restricted."

"We continue to be well cared for, and additional medical provisions and supplies have been brought onboard," he added.

The World Health Organization confirmed seven cases on the ship: two confirmed and five suspected, with three passenger deaths. Two crew members are ill, and one passenger was evacuated to intensive care in South Africa.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents that can cause severe respiratory or renal diseases in humans.

WHO said it is investigating the outbreak. Human-to-human transmission is uncommon, and there is not a high risk to the wider public. "We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who have shared cabins," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told reporters in Geneva.

Fox News Digital reached out to the cruise ship company for comment.