{"id":331603,"date":"2026-05-09T03:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=331603"},"modified":"2026-05-09T03:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T22:00:12","slug":"like-a-needle-in-my-head-ex-premier-league-boss-caught-hantavirus-cleansing-his-house-news-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/09\/like-a-needle-in-my-head-ex-premier-league-boss-caught-hantavirus-cleansing-his-house-news-world\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Like a needle in my head’: Ex-Premier League boss caught hantavirus cleansing his house | News World"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Football manager Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl was diagnosed with hantavirus in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship within the Atlantic Ocean \u2014 and former victims have shared their scary experiences with the infection.<\/p>\n

The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1 and was scheduled to make its final stop in Cape Verde after a 33-day cruise. Nevertheless, officials within the West African nation refused to permit passengers to disembark.<\/p>\n

After three days anchored off the archipelago, the ship is now sailing towards Spain\u2019s Canary Islands.<\/p>\n

Now, former Southampton manager\u00a0<\/strong>Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl has opened up about his terrifying battle with\u00a0hantavirus in 2012, revealing that the near-fatal ordeal caused his organs to expand and his heart rate to plummet.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Hasenh\u00fcttl, who was around 44 on the time, didn\u2019t catch the virus in an exotic location. He actually caught it at home, sweeping his terrace.<\/p>\n

Chatting with The Mirror,<\/a> Hasenh\u00fcttl said that in the first place he confused his symptoms with exhaustion, having recently returned from a mountain bike ride during a training camp.<\/p>\n

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A hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius has led to 3 deaths (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Unbeknownst to him, his body was actually showing signs he had contracted hantavirus.<\/p>\n

He said: \u2018I went to bed and that\u2019s when the pain in my head began. It felt like there was a needle in my head. Then I began to notice severe back pain. It felt like there was a knife in my back.\u2019<\/p>\n

Hasenh\u00fcttl said that doctors later found the virus was causing his liver and kidneys to rapidly expand and press against his other organs, causing the back pain.<\/p>\n

He spent two weeks in intensive care, but even after he was released, the ordeal was not over. The previous manager said he was \u2018out for such a protracted time\u2019 after contracting the disease.<\/p>\n

\u2018My heartbeat would wake me up due to how intense it was; I’d just feel this thud in my chest,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n

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Hasenh\u00fcttl said the virus caused his organs to expand (Picture: Neil Baynes\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hasenh\u00fcttl also noted that his weight fluctuated, causing his kidneys to weaken.<\/p>\n

He described recovery as a \u2018waiting game,\u2019 adding that he tried to \u2018push away from bad thoughts\u2019 because he felt young, healthy and robust.<\/p>\n

\u2018I assumed, \u2018Why should I die from a virus?\u2019<\/p>\n

Finally, Hasenh\u00fcttl said that doctors found the source of the infection.<\/p>\n

\u2018I used to be cleansing the terrace with no mask, and I feel I inhaled the dust,\u2019 he said. \u2018It takes about two to 3 weeks until it breaks out and symptoms show.\u2019<\/p>\n

Previous victims share their experience<\/h2>\n

A handful of other people have spoken about their experiences of hantavirus.<\/p>\n

Canadian Lorne Warburton was admitted to the hospital in 2023 and placed on life support after contracting the disease. Chatting with BBC Outside Source, he described the sickness as \u2018torture\u2019 and \u2018hell on Earth.\u2019<\/p>\n

Having began with \u2018COVID-type symptoms, body aches, a chronic headache and fatigue,\u2019 things soon escalated, and Warburton became \u2018drenched in sweat and couldn\u2019t breathe.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The MV Hondius is on its option to the Canary Islands(Picture: Emin Yogurtcuoglu\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Warburton said: \u2018The degree of illness and sickness that I went through was hell on earth, it was torture, to undergo that and to have the opportunity to bounce back.\u2019<\/p>\n

Thankfully, after three weeks in hospital, he made a full recovery.<\/p>\n

In 2019, Christian Ege from Germany was also diagnosed with hantavirus. Like Warbuton, he developed COVID-like symptoms that felt like a \u2018strange flu.\u2019<\/p>\n

For 3 days, Ege suffered from stomach flu, vomiting, and dizziness before a blood test confirmed he had kidney failure and sepsis. Ege was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where he spent days within the ICU with a neck catheter for dialysis access.<\/p>\n

Ege told the BBC: \u2018The kidneys recovered normally, however it was the coincidence of a bacterial and a viral escalation at the identical time that was a bit worrying for a few days needless to say.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Civil Guard officers and native policemen are preparing for the ship to dock within the Canaries (Picture: EPA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the times because the MV Hondius outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed five cases of the virus, with three more suspected. A 3rd British national connected with the ship has \u2018suspected hantavirus\u2019, it was revealed today.<\/p>\n

In a press conference earlier this week, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the UN Health Agency, stated that, though that is \u2018not the following COVID,\u2019 it\u2019s still a \u2018serious infection.\u2019<\/p>\n

She continued: \u2018The danger to most people is low\u2026 I actually just wish to assure people, that is something quite different.\u2019<\/p>\n

What’s hantavirus?<\/h2>\n

The World Health Organisation describes hantaviruses as a \u2018group of viruses carried by rodents that could cause severe disease in humans.\u2019<\/p>\n

It states that individuals typically get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.<\/p>\n

Hantavirus infections could cause a spread of illnesses, including severe disease and even death, as we\u2019ve sadly seen on the MV Hondius cruise ship.<\/p>\n

WHO adds that hantavirus has a history of manifesting in other ways, depending on geographical location.<\/p>\n

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The World Health Organisation has confirmed five cases of illness (Picture: REUTERS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within the Americas, infection \u2018has been known to guide to hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), a rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.\u2019<\/p>\n

In Europe and Asia, hantaviruses \u2018have been known to cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily affects the kidneys and blood vessels.\u2019<\/p>\n

What are the symptoms of hantavirus?<\/h2>\n

WHO notes that hantavirus symptoms in humans normally begin between one and eight weeks after exposure. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the timeline will depend on the style of virus the person has been infected with.<\/p>\n

Still, typical symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and gastrointestinal symptoms equivalent to abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.<\/p>\n

Depending on the virus type, there are other symptoms to look out for, too.<\/p>\n

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MV Hondius was travelling to Cape Verde from Argentina (Picture: AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those affected by HCPS may develop a cough and shortness of breath as a consequence of the buildup of fluid within the lungs.<\/p>\n

In HFRS patients, later stages of infection can include low blood pressure, bleeding disorders and kidney failure.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, hantavirus could be difficult to diagnose early, as most of the symptoms are also present in other common febrile (having or showing the symptoms of a fever) or respiratory illnesses.<\/p>\n

In response to WHO, this includes influenza, COVID-19, viral pneumonia, leptospirosis, dengue or sepsis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hantavirus treatment<\/h2>\n

The federal government website states that currently there isn’t any vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infections.<\/p>\n

Moderately, treatment is \u2018supportive and based on symptoms, equivalent to hospital care and respiratory support.\u2019<\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: Bill Gates-backed vaccine group warned hantavirus \u2018could possibly be next pandemic\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: CPR instructor has real life heart attack while pretending to have one<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: Mum shares \u2018unreal\u2019 moment she met transplant recipient who received daughter\u2019s hand<\/span><\/p>\n

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Football manager Ralph Hasenh\u00fcttl was diagnosed with hantavirus in 2012 (Picture: Getty Images) Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship within the Atlantic Ocean \u2014 and former victims have shared their scary experiences with the infection. The MV Hondius departed from Argentina on April 1 and was scheduled to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":331604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20691],"tags":[832,15112,2991,23128,27338,535,622,17486,395,813],"class_list":["post-331603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-boss","tag-caught","tag-cleaning","tag-expremier","tag-hantavirus","tag-house","tag-league","tag-needle","tag-news","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331603"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":331606,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331603\/revisions\/331606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}