GlobalNews411

Comprehensive reporting, aggregated for speed.

allentown

'Oh, gosh': Inside the race to test for cruise ship hantavirus

A weekend email to infectious disease specialist Lucille Blumberg alerted South African health officials to an unknown illness aboard a cruise ship, sparking a rapid effort to test for hantavirus.

Published May 6, 2026, 12:38 PM EDT | WFMZZ

It was the start of a long weekend in South Africa when infectious disease specialist Lucille Blumberg received an email from a colleague about an unknown illness on a cruise ship. That alert triggered a swift, coordinated effort by specialists to determine whether the sickness was caused by hantavirus.