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- Hantavirus survivor describes her horrific ordeal with infection (themirror.com)
A Kansas woman who survived a severe hantavirus infection over 15 years ago is now sharing her harrowing experience as concerns about the disease rise following a recent outbreak on a cruise ship.
Jennifer Benewiat contracted hantavirus in 2010 and has spoken publicly about her near-fatal battle with the illness, which included being placed on a ventilator and enduring three cardiac arrests within a ten-day period. Her story has resurfaced amid renewed attention after the virus claimed at least three lives aboard the MV Hondius and led to dozens of passengers being quarantined.
In an interview with Fox & Friends, Benewiat recounted how she first felt ill after Christmas dinner with her father. “I was driving back home to Wichita, and by the time I got there, I was extremely exhausted and running a high fever,” she said. She described collapsing upon entering her house and experiencing severe nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and cramping.
Despite multiple tests, doctors initially overlooked a critical lung X-ray that would have revealed fluid buildup in her lungs, a hallmark of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Speaking to CNN, Benewiat detailed how her oxygen levels plummeted, leading to her being placed on a ventilator. During this time, her heart stopped three times.
Following her critical care, she spent several days in the hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility, where she faced paralysis from the neck down-an effect of medications administered during treatment. “I had to relearn how to walk, eat, shower-everything,” she explained. After about a month of rehabilitation, she regained her mobility.
Meanwhile, the recent hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius prompted an international response. Passengers disembarked in the Canary Islands and were flown back to their home countries on government and military planes for quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that the risk to the general public remains low, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassuring that “this is not another COVID.”
The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, praised both passengers and crew for their resilience and requested respect for their privacy during this challenging time.
In the United States, at least seven states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Nebraska, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia, are monitoring individuals who were on the ship. While three passengers-a Dutch couple and a German national-have died, the majority of those exposed remain asymptomatic. Symptoms typically appear one to eight weeks after exposure.
Investigations into the outbreak’s origins suggest that a Dutch couple may have contracted the virus while bird-watching near Ushuaia, Argentina, possibly after visiting a landfill where rodent exposure is likely. Notably, this area had not previously reported hantavirus cases. Laboratory tests confirmed the virus strain as the Andes variant, primarily found in South America, which is capable of limited human-to-human transmission through close contact.
Health experts underscore that hantavirus, although serious and potentially fatal, poses a limited threat to the broader population. Epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove stressed, “This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease. Most people will never be exposed to this.”
For those infected, timely medical care is crucial, as hantavirus can cause severe respiratory distress requiring oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation. The incubation period ranges from one to six weeks, highlighting the importance of monitoring exposed individuals closely.
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- Hantavirus survivor describes her horrific ordeal with infection (themirror.com)