海上的一艘船：上面一百多人，回不了家

Recently, there's a very special ship at sea.

This ship is called "MV Hondius."

It's a Dutch cruise ship.

A cruise ship is a very, very big ship, made for people to play on and to see scenery.

MV Hondius, on April 1 this year, set off from a city called Ushuaia.

Ushuaia is at the southern tip of South America, a port city in Argentina.

The ship's destination was Antarctica.

Yes, Antarctica.

The coldest, most remote place in the world — with ice, snow, and penguins.

Going to Antarctica is a lifelong wish for many people.

So this ship had 147 people on it.

Some were tourists.

Some were crew members.

They came from 23 countries.

There were Dutch, German, British, American, and people from many other countries.

But not long after, things went wrong.

On April 6, one passenger on the ship began feeling unwell.

He was coughing.

He had a fever.

The doctor examined him.

But couldn't tell what disease.

On April 11, this passenger died.

At the time, everyone assumed it was an ordinary illness.

But not long after, his wife also began feeling unwell.

On April 26, this wife also died.

She died on a plane.

She had already disembarked and was on her way home.

She was on the plane for only 45 minutes when she died.

This made everyone realize something was wrong.

Then, another person died.

Then, several more people began feeling unwell.

The doctors became nervous.

The doctors took samples.

The samples were sent to a major hospital.

Finally, the doctors discovered: this is a virus.

The virus is called "hantavirus."

What is hantavirus?

Let me tell you first.

Hantavirus originally comes from rodents.

It's not that the rodent bites you and infects you.

It's that the virus is in their droppings.

Also in their urine.

Also in their saliva.

If a person accidentally comes into contact, they get sick.

So this virus isn't usually common.

You generally find it in mountain areas and farms.

It generally doesn't spread person to person.

That is to say, if you get this disease, you won't pass it to people around you.

But this time, it's different.

Doctors discovered: the virus on the ship is a special "Andes type."

The Andes is a mountain range in South America.

This virus is the only hantavirus in the world that can spread person to person.

That is to say, if one person catches it, the people around them might also catch it.

So suddenly, everyone on the ship was in danger.

So how did the virus get on the ship?

Doctors' current view is: one person was already sick before boarding.

But he himself didn't feel it, and he boarded the ship completely normally.

No one could have anticipated it.

Now let's talk about the ship.

On May 3, the ship reached a place called Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is a country in the Atlantic, off the west coast of Africa.

The ship wanted to stop and let the sick people disembark for hospital care.

But Cape Verde made the ship anchor outside.

They didn't let everyone off.

Then, on May 6, the three most severely ill patients were flown directly to the Netherlands.

The others are still on the ship.

Then, the ship began heading to another place.

That place is the Canary Islands, which belong to Spain.

But at first, the leader of the Canary Islands also didn't want the ship to come.

He was afraid the virus would reach the islands.

Later, the Spanish government said: we have to let them come.

People can't just wait at sea like this.

We have to help them.

So now, the ship is slowly heading to the Canary Islands.

Let me also talk about life on the ship.

Right now, everyone on the ship is being very careful.

Many people are watching movies in their rooms.

Some walk alone on the deck.

No one gathers, and meals are eaten apart.

Everyone is wearing masks.

The doctors check their temperatures every day.

If anyone feels unwell, they have to say so immediately.

Just imagine — that feeling really isn't easy.

You came to see Antarctica, you were on your way home.

Now, you're stuck on a ship.

Not knowing whether you'll catch it, not knowing when you can disembark.

But there's nothing to do — you can only wait.

Finally, here's the situation today.

Right now, five people in total are confirmed with this virus.

Several others may also be infected.

Some are in the Netherlands, some in Germany, some in South Africa, some in Switzerland — all in hospitals.

A total of people from 23 countries around the world are involved in this matter.

So this isn't just one ship's story — it's a story for many countries in the world.

After hearing this, you might think: "wow, that's terrifying."

Actually, this virus isn't easy to catch — ordinary people don't need to worry too much.

But this event shows us one thing — today's world, we're all in this together.

Something on one ship can affect many countries.

The droppings of one rodent can become news for the whole world.

So we should: keep clean, and if your body feels off, tell the doctor early.

And trust the doctors, listen to them — they're helping everyone too.

We hope that ship can return to land soon.

And those people can also go home soon.