Having hantavirus was 'hell on earth'

"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. After he was connected to a life support machine, he was diagnosed with hantavirus, and spent around three weeks in hospital."

"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. Christian also told the BBC that the sepsis was the most worrying part of his illness."

"Lorne and Christian are among those who have survived hantavirus, of which some strains can have a mortality rate of 20% to 40%. So far three passengers on the MV Hondius have died after the cruise ship set sail from Argentina on its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean around a month ago."

Hantavirus is a serious viral infection that presents with symptoms resembling Covid-19, including body aches, headaches, fatigue, and respiratory distress. Lorne Warburton from Canada contracted hantavirus in March 2023, requiring life support hospitalization for three weeks, describing the experience as severe torture. Christin Ege from Germany experienced similar onset in May 2019 with gastrointestinal symptoms, developing kidney failure and sepsis requiring ICU treatment. Hantavirus strains carry mortality rates between 20-40%. Recent cases emerged on the MV Hondius cruise ship traveling from Argentina, with three passengers dying and additional evacuations to the Netherlands for treatment.

Read at www.bbc.com