Terrifying Hantavirus Symptoms Lasted Six Months, Survivor Says Everyone Should Know the Signs

A WOMAN who survived the deadly hantavirus says she was left struggling with shortness of breath for up to six months after battling a severe cough, body aches, and relentless sweats that lasted all day.

Mary Stanley, 43, tested positive for the rat virus in May 2025, and claims doctors found it difficult to determine how best to deal with her situation.

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Mary Stanley said she felt as thought someone was standing on her chest after testing positive for hantavirusCredit: Facebook/Mary Elizabeth Stanley
 

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People usually get hantavirus from having contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when they’re exposed to their urine or droppings (stock image)Credit: Getty
In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Mary, from Norman, Oklahoma, recalled the horrific experience and how she lived in fear.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get worse and die but I tried to keep healing my lungs,” Mary said.

“The worst part was the pressure on my lungs. It felt like someone was standing on my chest constantly. And feeling weak.

“The cough was horrific. I was also really worried I was going to give it to my kids.

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The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is pictured docked in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of TenerifeCredit: AFP
 

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A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has spurred global concern over the potential spread of the virusCredit: AFP
“I had body aches, chills and was sweating all day.”

Her comments come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated a Level 3 emergency response following an outbreak of Andes virus, a type of hantavirus, linked to a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Three cruise ship passengers aboard MV Hondius have died, and there are at least six confirmed hantavirus cases, according to the World Health Organization.

They include two women; a French citizen and an American.

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The ship has reportedly been largely evacuated amid a multi-national operation in Tenerife, Canary Islands, using military and government aircraft to repatriate over 140 passengers and crew.

Health officials are monitoring passengers across five states: Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, and California.

Hantavirus is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with infected wild rodents, including rats and mice.

The Andes strain is unique for its rare ability to spread person-to-person.

However, the CDC says it’s nothing like Covid and have moved to calm fears of an outbreak.

Mary says she contracted the virus after turning on the air conditioning in her office for the first time in months, only to be hit by a foul smell before discovering mouse droppings hidden inside the unit.

“The smell of rodents was so horrific my eyes were pouring water, my face and throat were itchy,” she told The U.S. Sun.

“In fact, it was so bad my boss switched off the unit and had me go home.

“Apparently, mice had built a nest in the unit over the winter.

“I remembered the hantavirus story on the news so I started researching and it said to watch for symptoms for two weeks.”

With a week and a half, she says she fell ill with what felt like an upper respiratory infection and was sleeping most days and unable to work, suffering from shortness of breathe and a severe cough.

“My doctor’s lab didn’t have the ability to test for it so they had to look for a lab,” she explained.

She said she use Labcorp in Norman and it took three days to receive the results. The U.S. Sun has seen proof of Mary’s positive test result.

“When I got the results, nobody called, not even my doctor’s office, so I called them,” she said.

“He called me back and said he had put in a call to the infectious disease person here in Oklahoma and that he wasn’t sure where to go from here.”

She was later told it may be a false positive but was convinced she had the virus because she was so unwell.

“I drank tons of water and would get on my treadmill and walk uphill four miles a day,” Mary recalled.

“It was difficult but I needed to keep my breathing good.

“I did Elderberry, liquid oxygen, hot liquids/soups to break up the chest congestion, vitamin C, B12 and D.”

Mary claimed she previously had Covid when she was unvaccinated but only felt dizzy, explaining, “This was much worse than Covid.

“It took about four weeks for symptoms to resolve.

“I had shortness of breath for around six months.”

Despite Mary’s comments, health experts insist that hantavirus is much less of a threat to society than Covid because it does not spread easily between people.

However, for anyone who is infected, it is significantly more dangerous.

Mary was living with her three teenage children at the time, who did not quarantine as they read that the virus could not be passed on via human contact.

Trump has addressed the hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship, telling reporters the situation is “very much, we hope, under control.”

He added, “We have a lot of people, it’s a lot of great people are studying it. It should be fine. We hope.”

Mary, an office manager and paralegal, took time off work and bosses had the office and vents professionally cleaned, and installed a device to kill bacteria.

Mary went on, “I can’t imagine how many people have actually had it and they won’t test.

“I have a friend who thought she had it and couldn’t get tested because they told her that her insurance won’t pay for it.”

Talking about the current situation, she said, “It worries me that other people who may not be as healthy as myself could quickly become deathly ill … and children.

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“I do think it’s survivable if you push yourself to heal but some people just think it’s pneumonia or upper respiratory.

“If it worsens your blood vessels in your lungs start leaking.”