'The epidemic was...': Turkish YouTuber Ruhi Cenet issues clarification after attending wedding post returning from hantavirus-stricken cruise

Turkish YouTuber Ruhi Cenet recently admitted to attending a crowded wedding in Istanbul after returning from a cruise on the MV Hondius, which was hit by the viral hantavirus. After the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported the possible outbreak and death of three people, a photo of him at a wedding went viral online, leading to extreme backlash, as per reports by Türkiye Today.

Cenet, who boasts more than 18 million subscribers boarded the cruise ship in Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 to film a documentary about Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic archipelago and left the ship on April 24. The vessel was carrying 88 passengers and 59 crew members, with many passengers described as older amateur birdwatchers. However, the remote voyage soon became an international health concern after numerous people linked to the ship died or received treatment following confirmed or suspected hantavirus infections.

"On the date I attended the wedding, the Hantavirus epidemic was not announced by the World Health Organization," he wrote on Instagram in Turkish. He later said he had isolated himself and was monitoring his health. “I will not mix with the public for several weeks,” he said in comments reported by Sozcu. “I am in constant contact with health teams. If I feel even the slightest fever or weakness, I am ready to put on my mask and call an ambulance.”



He said he and his cameramen understood the risk of the voyage after seeing the condition of a symptomatic passenger, particularly the wife of the first person who died from the virus. “From that moment, my cameraman and I locked ourselves in our room. We completely cut off contact with the outside,” Cenet said.

The YouTuber told AFP that after returning to Türkiye, he was told he did not need to enter quarantine as long as he had no symptoms. “When we got to Türkiye, we were told that as long as we don’t show any symptoms, at this point we don’t have to be quarantined,” he said. “We are trying to isolate ourselves as much as we can.”

During the voyage, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger died on April 11, and as per Cenet, passengers were initially told the death was unrelated to any infectious disease.

In footage filmed by Çenet and later published by NBC News and him, the ship’s captain addressed passengers the following day. “Whatever health issues he was struggling with, I'm told by the doctor, were not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that," the captain announced, according to Çenet. "The ship is safe. This gentleman, unfortunately, succumbed to natural causes. And like I say, we do what we can in order to continue in a safe and dignified way," the captain added in the video filmed by the content creator.

The passenger's body was removed from the ship on April 24, the same day Cenet and other passengers disembarked on Saint Helena. Reflecting on the decision, he told AFP that he wished they hadn't landed there after the first casualty, as there were more passengers and they were interacting with the islanders. "This is one of my regrets, because the island is the most remote one, and they don't have enough medical centres, enough doctors," he added.

On May 3, the WHO said it was aware of the first laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infection associated with the cruise ship. As of May 8, the organisation reported eight suspected cases tied to the outbreak, including three deaths.

What is Hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses known to cause serious illnesses and death. These cause diseases like hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and are mainly spread by rodents.

As per the CDC, symptoms of the virus begin to show 1-8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent and they include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Chills
• Abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain

Interestingly, there is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection and patients usually receive supportive care, rest, hydration and treatment of symptoms.