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“There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home.”
A Boston travel influencer shared his experience aboard the MV Hondius, which is currently facing a suspected hantavirus outbreak. AP Photo/Oceanwide Expeditions
A Boston travel influencer has shared that he is a passenger on board the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship currently quarantined as it faces a suspected deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Jake Rosmarin, a travel blogger and freelance photographer who has gained steady followings on Instagram and TikTok, said Sunday in an Instagram post that he is aboard the ship. Since the MV Hondius’ departure, three passengers have died, and at least three others have fallen seriously ill.
Rosmarin initially confirmed that he was a passenger but declined to publicly comment “out of respect for those involved and the situation.” However, he posted an emotionally-charged Instagram video Monday sharing his reaction to the predicament and the media attention it has attracted.
“We’re not just a story. We’re not just headlines,” Rosmarin said in the video. “We’re people; people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home.”
The MV Hondius was scheduled to traverse a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic. Since the ship’s crew requested help from health authorities Sunday off the coast of Cape Verde, no one has been allowed to disembark.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty, and that’s the hardest part,” Rosmarin said. “All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home.”
Authorities suspect that a hantavirus outbreak is to blame, presenting a serious public health risk. The family of viruses is mainly transmitted through contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents rather than from person to person.
However, rare cases have been documented of the infections spreading between people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no specific cure or treatment, but early medical attention can help prevent it from turning fatal, the organization said.
The 88 passengers aboard the cruise ship hail from several nations. The three passengers who have died were from the Netherlands and Germany, and a British man has been transferred to intensive care in South Africa.
The British man, who was evacuated April 27, is currently the only one confirmed to have tested positive for hantavirus. The causes of deaths and illnesses for the other passengers have not yet been confirmed, but the WHO said it suspects them to be hantavirus.
Rosmarin later shared an additional update Monday stating that “everyone onboard is doing okay.” He also thanked the Oceanwide Expeditions cruise company and the ship’s crew for “handling a very difficult situation with care.”
“Right now, the priority is making sure those who are sick receive the care they need, as well as getting to a place where we can safely disembark and access medical support,” Rosmarin said. “There’s still some uncertainty, but it’s reassuring to know there is a plan in place, and I hope to be able to share more updates soon.”
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