Emerging details about Hantavirus, the illness responsible for three deaths on board a British cruise ship, have raised concerns it could be transmitted via sex.

According to a 2023 study in the journal Viruses, the rat borne virus can survive in human semen for up to six years after that person became infected.

The Spiez Laboratory, a Swiss government institute tasked with fighting nuclear, biological and chemical threats, investigated a 55-year-old man who had previously had the Andes strain of the hantavirus.

Researchers discovered that although there was no longer any trace of the virus in man’s blood, urine and respiratory tract, it was still detectable in his semen 71 months later.

But does this mean you could catch hantavirus from having sex with someone who had previously fallen ill? And should we be treating it as an STI? We asked a doctor to give us the lowdown.

How can hantavirus live in semen?

‘The testes and male reproductive tract are what we call “immune privileged” sites, meaning the immune system does not patrol them as aggressively as it does other parts of the body,’ Dr Suzanne Wylie tells Metro.

‘This is partly because sperm cells are biologically unusual and could otherwise trigger immune reactions, so certain viruses are able to persist there for prolonged periods even after they have disappeared from the blood and respiratory tract.’

The study makes it clear that yes, hantavirus can survive in semen for a long time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s highly infectious.

The GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor says viruses such as Ebola and Zika can behave in this way, and standard advice for those infected is to wear condoms whenever they have sex to prevent potential transmission.

Dr Wylie completely understands the concern that you could be exposed to the virus via unprotected sex.

‘It’s important to stress that confirmed sexual transmission of hantavirus remains exceptionally rare and the evidence is still very limited,’ she explains. ‘At the moment it’s more of a serious scientific and public health question than evidence of a widespread new route of transmission.’

If you’ve currently got hantavirus you shouldn’t be having sex with anyone because the disease can spread through prolonged contact.

If you’ve recovered from Hantavirus, it’s not standard practice for doctors to recommend you wear a condom for a period of time after the illness but Dr Wylie say that could change if more research determines the traces in semen could be infectious.

As part of practicing safe sex it’s wise to use condoms regardless of whether you’ve been unwell or not to protect against STIs.

Could this affect women in a similar way?

In short, there’s not enough evidence to know if the virus could live in the vaginal or reproductive tissues in the same way it lives in semen.

‘Biologically the testes are somewhat unique because of their immune-protected environment, so it may not behave identically in females,’ Dy Wylie says.

‘That said, researchers will almost certainly now start looking more carefully at persistence in female reproductive tissues as well.’

Could I catch hantavirus six years later?

Potentially yes, if you have sex with someone who had the virus some years ago, there’s a possibility you could catch it from them, even if they themselves have recovered.

‘That doesn’t necessarily mean large numbers of recovered patients are infectious for years, but it does mean the assumption that recovery automatically equals zero transmission risk may not always be true for every hantavirus strain, particularly Andes virus,’ Dr Wylie explains.

If you’re wondering if this means it should be considered an STI, the expert says most clinicians wouldn’t currently describe it as one.

‘This is because its primary mode of transmission remains exposure to infected rodents and their droppings, and person-to-person spread overall is still uncommon outside certain Andes virus outbreaks in South America,’ she adds.

‘However, if further studies confirm viable virus can persist in semen and be sexually transmitted long after recovery, then sexual transmission would clearly need to be recognised as an important secondary route.’ 

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There are long delays on the M4 near Newport on Friday after a vehicle pulling a caravan appears to have overturned. The accident has taken place o the westbound carriageway between junction 26 (Malpas) and junction 27 (Highcross).

There are severe delays and two lanes closed, according to traffic monitoring service Inrix. Congestion has built back to junction 23 at Magor.

There is also slow traffic on the eastbound carriageway due to onlookers.

Gwent Police said: “We’re currently dealing with a road traffic collision on the M4 Westbound between J26 and J27.

“Please avoid the area if possible and find alternative routes for your journey.”

Follow our live updates below:

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

A few months before he made his England debut in 2017, Pickford joined Everton from Sunderland for an initial £25m.

Later that summer, Rooney, who had left Everton in 2004 and won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during 13 years at Manchester United, returned to Goodison Park.

“There was a price tag on me when I was being bought – the most expensive British keeper – so there was that pressure,” Pickford says to Rooney. “I’ve always enjoyed the pressure and I knew I had to do something early to get the fans behind me.

“In your first game we won 1-0 and you scored the header and I made a decent save in my first home Premier League game at Goodison, so I set myself off on a good stall.”

Rooney was instantly impressed with Pickford’s performances,

“At the time I thought, ‘this could be Everton and England’s number one goalkeeper for a long time’,” he says.

Nine years later and Pickford is just that – and in October signed a new contract to keep him with the Toffees until 2029.

But since he joined, Everton have not finished higher than eighth in the Premier League and they are in danger of missing out on European football for an eighth successive season.

During the interview, Rooney asks Pickford about his decision to stay.

“I don’t agree, but a lot of people say ‘why haven’t you moved on from Everton?’” he says.

“For you to be so loyal, to what you have been to the club, it’s quite rare these days.

“With your ability, you can say: ‘Well, do you want to go and play Champions League?’ But you’ve stuck with Everton. Why is it?”

A community orchard project has also been launched in the city

Belfast is not far off target with its one million trees initiative, and has announced it has recently reached just under the 300,000 milestone, and has also started a community orchard project.

Launched in December 2020, and coordinated by Belfast City Council, the Belfast One Million Trees initiative is a 15-year project aiming to plant one million native trees by 2035 to tackle climate change, enhance biodiversity, and improve air quality. The project was inspired by the Belfast Metropolitan Residents Group and is supported by the Woodland Trust, National Trust, and the Belfast Hills Partnership.

At a committee meeting at City Hall this week, council officers said reaching the 300,000 planted tree milestone was “a good news story.”

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A report on the council’s overall Tree Strategy for the People and Communities Committee at City Hall states: “Since the establishment of the One Million Tree initiative in 2020 the council and its partners have planted a total of 293,516 new trees and 4,232 linear metres of hedging, what is more the Council remains committed to achieving 30 percent canopy cover by 2050.

“It should be noted the National Trust were a major contributor to the 2025/26 tree planting figures, which came about from their successful application for funding from the Forest Service, as part of the afforestation project in the Glencairn and Ballygomartin area.”

The report does give a slight note of expectation management however. It states: “The council continues to collaborate with existing partners and is similarly striving to establish new partnerships, all of which is essential if the council is to increase tree canopy cover across the city.

“However elected members are reminded that whilst the council is committed to increasing tree canopy cover, it should be stressed the One Million Tree initiative is a city wide project, which will necessitate increased engagement with other land owners to ensure the council achieves its objectives, as set out within the Belfast Tree Strategy.”

Officers also announced that the council had launched its first community orchard project in March, after a successful Alliance Party motion, with members of the Malone Tornadoes who planted fourteen fruit trees in underused space at Shaw’s Bridge.

Since then the council has delivered several small community orchards in Ardoyne, one in the grounds of a local day nursery and another in the neighbouring community centre. Officials also planted a small community orchard with the L’arche organisation in the east of the city, a group which works directly with a network of communities of people with and without learning difficulties.

The council report states: “The council will continue its work on the establishment of small community orchards across the city at the beginning of the next tree planting season which runs from November to March each year.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Melissa Rein Lively is charged with assault by beating while Philipp Ostermann, 37, is charged with two racially aggravated public order offences and a further public order offence, after an incident at Bond Street Underground station on the evening of October 11 last year, British Transport Police said on Friday.

The garden will celebrate its anniversary on Monday, May 18, and has announced an extension to its Salford Free Tuesdays scheme, allowing all Salford residents to enjoy free entry every Tuesday until May 18, 2027.

Since opening in 2021, 86,000 Salford residents have enjoyed free visits to the 154-acre garden, while hundreds of wellbeing and community groups have found calm, creativity and connection across the site’s diverse landscapes.

Special celebrations will take place on Monday, May 18, including £5 admission for all visitors, birthday goodie bags for the first 50 arrivals, a £5 hot drink and cake offer, and £5 off plants priced at £15 or more.

One lucky visitor will also receive a ‘Golden Ticket’ in the fiftieth goodie bag, granting a year of RHS Individual Membership.

Marcus Chilton-Jones, head of site at RHS Garden Bridgewater, said: “Extending Salford Free Tuesdays is a wonderful milestone for us.

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen how much this garden means to local people, from families discovering nature together to community groups using the space to support wellbeing.

“Making sure Bridgewater remains open and welcoming to our neighbours is a core part of who we are, and I’m delighted we can continue offering this opportunity for another year.”

The extension of the Salford Free Tuesdays scheme highlights the garden’s focus on community access, wellbeing, and horticultural education.

With more than 2.49 million visits since its opening, RHS Garden Bridgewater has delivered more than 44,000 free educational sessions for schoolchildren and benefited from thousands of volunteer hours.

Paul Dennett, city mayor of Salford, said: “RHS Garden Bridgewater has become one of Salford’s great success stories, and I want to congratulate everyone involved on its fifth birthday.

“In just five years, it has grown into a place that brings people together, boosts wellbeing and showcases the very best of our city.

“I’m especially proud that Salford residents can continue to enjoy free entry every Tuesday.

“I’d encourage people of all ages to make the most of this fantastic offer, visit the garden regularly, and take pride in this fantastic garden right on our doorstep.”

More information and booking details are available from the RHS website.

Put 7 tbsp soy sauce, 2½ tbsp honey, 3 tsp sesame oil, the juice of ½ lime, 4 grated garlic cloves, 4cm cube fresh ginger (peeled and grated) and 1½ tsp chilli flakes (or you can use a chilli sauce, to taste, if you like), into a dish in which the chicken will fit. Add the meat and turn it so that it gets coated.

Lydia-May Green, 30, pleaded guilty to the unlawful relationship with the patient, who was moved to a psychiatric facility in the 2020 under the Mental Health Act

A smitten hospital worker who became pregnant following an eight-month affair with a psychiatric patient she ‘fell for’ has been jailed after grim footage of them together was discovered.

Lydia-May Green, 30, who subsequently miscarried her unborn child, arranged to meet the man outside the hospital when she was granted leave, and he was on day release. A court has heard how their llegal romance may have caused the patient “substantial psychological harm” and potentially delayed his chances of being discharged.

Videos and photographs found on her phone reveal images and clips of them naked from the waist up in bed, embracing and kissing. There were recordings of the pair in a car engaging in sexual activity.

The patient, cannot be named for legal reasons, was first imprisoned for 10 years in November 2018 following a Section 18, wounding with intent matter. He was then detained under the Mental Health Act to a psychiatric facility in the summer of 2020, reports the Mail. The victim is autistic, with ADHD and has complex mental health needs which impact his daily life. He also suffers from schizoaffective disorder, a chronic mental health condition that combines psychotic symptoms with mood disorder.

Dressed in black, Green wept in the dock as the manner of the abuse were outlined at Bristol Crown Court. She pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges of engaging in sexual activity with a man with a mental disorder, dating from February to October 2024.

She began work at the hospital in where he was receiving treatment in 2021 on a student placement. She worked as a healthcare worker and qualified as a nurse in 2024. She quickly became one of his ‘favourite members of staff’ and they spent considerable time together.

In February 2024, he sent her a message on Instagram declaring she was ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’, writing ‘I deserve you, you deserve me’. At the time, she had been in a relationship that had since ended, the court heard. From May 2024, Green booked stays at Travelodges in Bristol and Wales, where she spent time with the patient.

Green became a registered nurse in September 2024 and handed in one month’s notice to leave her job for a position at another hospital.

In December 2024, Green conducted pregnancy tests and broke the news to the patient, who affectionately referred to her as his ‘baby momma’. The court was told she later suffered a miscarriage and sent him photos of the miscarriage.

Green called it quits on New Year’s Eve and penned a goodbye letter. However, on January 10, 2025, the victim informed hospital staff about his relationship with Green and showed them photos of the two of them together.

Green conversed with a friend who worked at the hospital and on January 22, 2025, wrote ‘I know I engaged willingly’ and ‘I did fall in love with him’. Yet some friends and family advised her against confessing to the relationship. She deleted footage in what seemed to be an attempt to destroy evidence, the court was told.

She was subsequently arrested and interviewed on January 30, then again on April 28. Prosecuting barrister William Eaglestone suggested the breakup ‘perhaps precipitated’ the investigation.

Defence barrister Thomas Stanway noted that from Green’s arrest up until the day of sentencing, the patient had continued to contact Green and some of her friends via social media.

But he argued it was not “grooming” or “coercive” as the man had pursued her and there was a ‘consensual nature’ to the relationship. He described the man as ‘very articulate’ and a ‘very sociable person who formed relationships quickly’ and ‘masks inability’.

He said: “She was struggling and susceptible to making ill-advised choices and this relationship is possibly the worst decision she will ever make in her life.”

Judge Moira MacMillan handed Green a total sentence of 28 months behind bars.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing will make its first major sale to China in nearly a decade with an order for 200 planes, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday, a deal he said had been made during his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping this week and that could grow to as many as 750 planes.

The White House has not released details of the deal, and the company itself has not commented. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg had joined Trump for the trip to Beijing, one of a large group of CEOs seeking to sell products and services to China. For Boeing, the deal would mark a significant breakthrough in a market that was once central to its long-term growth.

Trump also said the deal would benefit General Electric, which he said would supply 400 to 450 engines. General Electric did not immediately comment on the agreement.

Last month, Ortberg signaled confidence that any broader U.S.-China agreement would include aircraft purchases, telling investors he expected Trump’s meeting with Xi to be a “meaningful opportunity” for Boeing.

Ortberg took over in 2024, a calamitous year for Boeing as it came under intensifying scrutiny over production and quality failures and faced mounting financial pressure. In January 2024, a panel known as a door plug blew off a 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, renewing scrutiny of Boeing’s manufacturing practices.

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Months later, the U.S. Justice Department revived a criminal case against Boeing tied to the two fatal Max crashes, although prosecutors later reached an agreement with Boeing to dismiss the case, committing the company to an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families and internal safety and quality improvements.

Then an eight-week strike stretching through the fall by machinists who assemble the 737 Max in Washington state disrupted production and added to the company’s financial strain.

—- Yamat reported from Las Vegas. Barrow reported from Atlanta.