Nearly 40 passengers exposed to a deadly hantavirus outbreak are believed to have walked off a cruise ship without contact tracing and scattered across multiple countries, leaving authorities scrambling to find them.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the company that operates the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, said Thursday that 29 passengers disembarked on April 24, nearly two weeks after the first death on board, while Dutch officials put the number closer to 40.

The passengers, representing at least a dozen nationalities, returned to their home countries across Europe, Africa and beyond, creating a complex international search effort, the company said, adding that nationalities of two of the people were unknown.

Health officials have already confirmed that at least one passenger who left the ship, a man who returned to Switzerland, tested positive for the Andes strain of the hantavirus, a rare variant that can spread between people through close contact.

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The outbreak has already resulted in at least three deaths, while several others have fallen ill as the virus spread among passengers.

A Dutch man died on April 11, and his body was taken off the ship onto the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena. His wife also disembarked there before flying to South Africa, where she collapsed and died at the Johannesburg airport.

Argentine officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the leading hypothesis is that the couple may have been exposed to rodents while visiting a landfill during a bird-watching tour in the city of Ushuaia, unknowingly contracting the virus before boarding the cruise ship.

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Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) said human-to-human transfer is uncommon, but possible.

Additional evacuations followed the Dutch man’s death.

A British man was flown to South Africa from Ascension Island, according to the company, while three more people, including the ship’s doctor, were airlifted to Europe for treatment as the vessel drifted near Cape Verde.

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With passengers dispersing across continents and limited records of their movements, officials in South Africa and across Europe are now working to reconstruct travel paths and identify anyone who may have been exposed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brian Kilmeade sat down with experts to dissect a growing online phenomenon that has captured the attention of young men across the country.

Known as “looksmaxxing,” this trend involves a quest for sharper physical features and increased confidence, often categorized into two distinct paths: “softmaxxing” and “hardmaxxing.”

While the movement promises self-improvement, the segment revealed deeper concerns regarding safety and the psychological motivations driving these young “looksmaxxers.”

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Kilmeade opened the discussion by describing the trend as a quest for young men to “surpass genetic potential.” He noted that the methods vary wildly, ranging from “elaborate skin care routines” to extreme physical interventions.

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Claire Wolinsky said the trend has been gaining momentum for at least a year, highlighting popular techniques like “mewing,” where young men attempt to reshape their jawlines through specific tongue positioning.

The New York-based expert was quick to debunk the effectiveness of such methods, stating that they are “clearly not science-based at all.”

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The shift toward male-centric beauty standards appears to be heavily influenced by the digital landscape, according to Wolinsky, who observed that “social media is pushing this way.” Many young people have become suspicious of traditional medical advice, she added.

Instead, she said, they “look online for their information, and they look at attractive peers to see what they’re doing, and they want to look like them.”

This digital influence has created a vacuum where influencers dictate health and grooming standards for a generation of men instead of physicians, Wolinsky noted.

Family therapist Tom Kersting shared concerns about the underlying mental health of those participating in the movement.

The New Jersey-based expert questioned whether these young men are acting out of “narcissistic behavior” or if they are in “search of some form of external gratification from strangers online.”

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Kersting emphasized that true self-worth cannot be measured by digital metrics, adding that “self-esteem is how I feel about myself. It has nothing to do with how many likes, followers or thumbs-up that I get from the outside world.”

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While the experts acknowledged that some aspects of the trend are benign, the line between self-care and self-harm is becoming increasingly blurred.

Wolinsky pointed out that taking care of your skin or sleeping well can be beneficial.

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In contrast, she expressed alarm over “hardmaxxing” behaviors, which include taking steroids and supplements or seeking plastic surgery at a young age. These practices, she noted, “concern me as a mom and also as a physician.”

The conversation shifted to “bone smashing,” a practice where individuals purportedly use physical objects to alter their facial structure.

Wolinsky clarified the danger of such actions, explaining that “they’re apparently taking hammers or physical objects and hurting themselves.”

“There’s no way that by destroying a bone, it gets thicker or better, or your jawline’s going to look improved,” she said.

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Kersting suggested that the rise of looksmaxxing may be a symptom of a broader societal crisis facing young males who feel “pushed aside and forgotten about.”

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As young men struggle to find their identity, he said, they may turn to the internet for guidance.

“The people that are influencing them… these social media influencers… don’t really have anything very influential to offer.”

A Swiss man who returned from a cruise linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak has tested positive and been isolated, as health officials say the strain involved can spread between people in rare cases — though the overall risk remains low.

Health authorities in Switzerland confirmed the man recently traveled aboard the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the center of an outbreak that has already killed three passengers and sickened several others.

Swiss health officials said the man sought medical care after developing symptoms and was immediately placed in isolation. His wife, who traveled with him, is self-isolating but has not shown symptoms.

The officials confirmed his case involves the Andes strain of hantavirus.

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The World Health Organization said the Andes strain is a rare form of hantavirus that can spread between humans through close contact — unlike most hantavirus infections, which are typically linked to exposure to rodent droppings.

South African health authorities said they also identified the Andes strain in two other passengers who were on the ship.

The outbreak left the Dutch-flagged cruise ship stranded off the coast of Cape Verde, with nearly 150 passengers and crew on board as authorities scramble to contain the situation.

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WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that three suspected cases were evacuated from the vessel and are being transported to the Netherlands for treatment.

“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low,” Tedros said.

Authorities stress that while the Andes strain can spread person-to-person, transmission remains uncommon and typically requires close, prolonged contact.

Health officials have launched monitoring efforts for passengers both on board and those who have already disembarked, coordinating across multiple countries as the investigation continues.

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The ship departed Argentina on April 1 and was scheduled to travel through the Southern Atlantic, including stops in Antarctica, before the outbreak disrupted its itinerary.

Spain has agreed to receive the vessel in the Canary Islands, though local officials have raised concerns about potential risk to residents.

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Hantavirus infections are rare but can be severe, with symptoms ranging from fever and fatigue to serious respiratory illness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.