Passengers fear stigma
Public health editor
Timestamp shown in UTC unless otherwise indicated.
MADRID (AP) — Days after a hantavirus outbreak hit a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean and panic began to brew among the Spanish passengers. Their biggest concern is not fear of getting sick, but what awaits them when they get home.
On Friday, two passengers from the ship contacted The Associated Press. They described things being pretty bad. Sensational news and nasty memes isolate those aboard the MV Hondius.
"It is terrifying inside social media," reads one comment about blowing the vessel to pieces and sinking it. Concern with stigma as immune transmitted pollutants seems real. Others also share that feeling.
Nobody wants to become part of conspiracy-related attention afterward. The situation reminds of early COVID-19 days.