MRI scans are strong diagnostics with high-definition images of what lies inside a body. Strong magnetic fields require precaution, as brought out by an instance where a young woman suffered very serious injuries due to an oversight in a metallic core within a silicone sex toy that she happened to have before the MRI scan. This makes a stark reminder about the potentially deadly consequences of missing metal objects when such procedures are being performed. In April 2023, a 23-year-old woman went into an MRI with a silicone plug containing a metal core that was not known.

She thought that the item is made entirely out of silicone according to the advertising. However, the strong magnetic field of the MRI machine interacted with the hidden metal, dragging the object through her body and causing excruciating pain. According to reports from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the scene was harrowing, with the woman screaming in agony and requiring immediate hospitalization. Despite pre-scan screenings, which are routine prior to a scan, the patient did not inform the facility that the object existed because he presumed it was purely non-metallic. This caused serious injuries that led to the patient's law suit against the manufacturer for deceitful misrepresentations of material content.

MRI machines employ magnets between 0.5 to 3 Tesla (T). This is thousands of times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. The tremendous force causes ferromagnetic materials, like iron and nickel, to be magnetized quickly and become strongly attracted toward the magnet. Objects as small as hairpins or paper clips will accelerate at 40 miles per hour inside the magnetic field.

The force can lead to catastrophic injuries in items lodged within the body, such as metallic implants or foreign objects. Metallic cores within devices, like pacemakers or intrauterine devices, must be disclosed to radiologists to prevent such complications.

How Metal Objects Interact with MRI Fields?

On these claims, Dr. Adam Taylor, a specialist in human anatomy, weighed his words in a international health website and added that the distance away and mass of this object would increase its velocity towards that of sound, "The acceleration would be phenomenal, but with a metallic core, it can't go anywhere near supersonic speeds. As for the size, the magnetic acceleration to the internal soft tissues would ensure that there could be severe intracranial trauma."

The injuries inflicted in this case likely involved damage to major blood vessels, nerves, or organs, highlighting the devastating impact of even minor oversight during an MRI scan.

This is not an isolated case. There are documented cases of metallic objects causing serious damage during MRI scans with a 65-year-old man with schizophrenia swallowed metal objects, including sockets and a hinge pin. The powerful magnetic field during an MRI scan caused the objects to rupture his stomach, resulting in serious injuries.

A toddler who ingested 11 small magnets perforated his bowel while undergoing a scan, making his case unique. In another deadly but extremely rare incident, there have been people who hide a firearm on themselves during MRI procedures. Magnetic attraction can trigger a discharge in a weapon and has led to some fatal injuries.

These cases emphasize the very strong need for adequate screening and patient education prior to an MRI.

Preventing MRI-Related Incidents

Medical professionals have been trained to avoid risks. This is by properly screening a patient for metallic objects. In general, most pre-scan protocols include:

• Patients are interrogated about implants, recent surgery or exposures at work related to metals.
• Radiologists sometimes use handheld metal detectors to search for hidden items.
• People who work with metal, like welders or machinists, will need additional testing to detect microscopic metal fragments within soft tissues or eyes.

The case emphasizes the importance of product labeling by manufacturers, especially those products that are likely to unintentionally cause harm to health. The patient's assumption that her device was 100% silicone points to a larger problem in consumer markets with misinformation.

It also reminds the patients to report any possible dangers to the medical professionals, no matter how the objects look non-metallic. In sensitive cases, patients can request private discussions with healthcare providers to ensure safety without discomfort.

In the end, it is a joint effort from manufacturers, healthcare professionals, and patients that can prevent such tragedies. Manufacturers must ensure truthful marketing, while healthcare providers should educate patients about the dangers of metal objects in MRI settings. For patients, understanding the risks and actively participating in pre-scan disclosures can be lifesaving.

This young woman's experience is a sobering example of the unforeseen dangers posed by MRI machines when precautions are overlooked. It serves as a wake-up call to address gaps in patient awareness, medical protocols, and product transparency. By learning from this incident, the medical community and the public can work together to ensure MRI scans remain a safe and effective diagnostic tool.

Two of 17 American passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius have tested positive, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.

A French national onboard the same cruise has also shown symptoms.

The Dutch-flagged vessel MV Hondius, carrying 94 people, including Filipinos, Britons, Americans, Indians, and Spaniards, arrived in Spain's Canary Islands on May 10. All have been evacuated and repatriated.

Also Read: Hantavirus: 2 Indian Crew Members On MV Hondius Asymptomatic; How Passengers Were Evacuated?

How Did Countries Evacuate?

US

The HHS in a post on social media platform X noted that all 17 American citizens have been repatriated from the MV Hondius cruise ship and are currently en route to the US.

The two passengers who tested positive for hantavirus are travelling in the plane's biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution.

“All 17 are currently en route via @StateDept airlift to the United States, with two of the passengers travelling in the plane's biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution. One passenger currently has mild symptoms, and another passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus,” the HHS statement said.

The HHS added that the airlifted passengers will be transported “to the ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska”.

The passenger with mild symptoms will be moved to a second RESPTC. Notably, everyone will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition.

Spain

Prime Minister of France Sébastien Lecornu, informed that five Spaniards present on the MV Hondius have been repatriated to national territory.

Of these, one “exhibited symptoms on the repatriation flight”.

“As a result, all five passengers were immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice. They are receiving medical care and will undergo testing and a full health assessment,” he added.

Australia

Australia said it will charter a flight to evacuate its citizens. And the passengers returning are expected to be quarantined on arrival.

Environment Minister Murray ⁠Watt said the flight carries four Australians, one resident of Tenerife, and one resident of New Zealand.

"This is being done via an Australian government-supported flight, and we expect those people to return to Australia soon," Watt told reporters in Canberra.

"Quarantine arrangements are being finalized as we speak with the states and territories."

India

Two Indian nationals are healthy and unsymptomatic, the Embassy of India in Madrid said on May 10.

They have been medically evacuated to the Netherlands, where they will be quarantined as per relevant health safety protocol, the embassy said.

Planes to Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, and have also departed from Spain.

WHO Guidelines On Hantavirus

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said that after being brought to shore, passengers will be kept cordoned off from the public and taken to repatriation flights.

In their home countries, many will be taken onward to isolation facilities. Van Kerkhove said that the WHO is recommending “active monitoring and follow-up” for all passengers and crew for 42 days from their “last point of exposure” to a confirmed case.

"Our recommendation is daily health checks, at home or in a specialized facility. It's up to countries to develop their policies, but our recommendations are very clear," Van Kerkhove said, highlighting that the incubation period for the virus was up to six weeks.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has urged strengthening investment in maternal health initiatives in the US that will support mothers before and after they give birth.

Speaking to NBC News on the occasion of Mother’s Day on May 10, Moore, along with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, spoke about the need to improve access to care for mothers.

Moore, who has served as governor since January 2023, emphasized the need to leverage resources from the government, the private sector, and community organizations to address access gaps.

In light of this, the Maryland Governor highlighted a new partnership his administration entered with The Bridge Project to provide direct cash assistance to new mothers.

The Bridge Project, which has programs in 10 cities, counties, or regions across the country, offers mothers financial support and community resources to assist them during pregnancy and “for the first several years” with their baby.

“It’s going to happen for 150 families in the … areas of Maryland that you’ve had concentrated poverty being a long-term challenge,” said Moore, a father of two.

“And it’s now coming off the heels of additional initiatives that we pulled together, where we’ve reestablished the Governor’s Office for Children. We’ve started something called the ENOUGH Initiative, which is actually an acronym that stands for engaging neighborhoods, organizations, unions, governments, and households, which is the nation’s first place-based, state-led anti-poverty initiative,” he added.

Sanders Urges Bipartisan Action to Improve Maternal Health

Meanwhile, Sanders, who has three children, said she made maternal health a priority after becoming governor, citing Arkansas’ consistently poor ranking in maternal mortality rates.

“If we can see these women and help them and support them from the very beginning of their pregnancy all the way through, then we can help address some of these problems, and we can change maternal health,” Sanders. “Not just in our state, but across the country.”

Read More: Hantavirus: 2 Indian Crew Members On MV Hondius Asymptomatic; How Passengers Were Evacuated?

Sanders said she convened a strategic working group to identify ways to improve maternal health outcomes throughout the state and was “pleasantly shocked by how many people showed up.”

“People that I know actively campaigned against me were some of the most helpful people in developing our strategic plan on how we were going to address this problem in Arkansas,” the governor added. “It is something that breaks down a lot of walls. Everybody knows a mom. Everybody has a mom.”

The working group led Sanders to introduce the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act and other initiatives, including the Proactive Postpartum Call Center run through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, which calls women in their first six weeks postpartum to ask and answer questions about physical and mental health.

Maternal Mortality In The US

Also read: World Thalassemia Day 2026: Why Screening Before Marriage Or Pregnancy Is Important

As per March 2026 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2024 figures raise concerns about maternal health in the country. The US has already had one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries.

The CDC's report stated that in 2024, 649 women died of maternal causes in the United States, compared with 669 in 2023

The maternal mortality rate for 2024, 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, shows no significant decline from 18.6 deaths in 2023.

Two Indian nationals onboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship are healthy and unsymptomatic, the Embassy of India in Madrid said on May 10.

The Dutch-flagged vessel MV Hondius, with more than 90 people, including two Indian Crew members, arrived in Spain's Canary Islands on May 10.

They have been medically evacuated to the Netherlands, the embassy said.

"The 2 Indian nationals are healthy and asymptomatic. As informed by the Spanish National Center for Emergency Monitoring and Coordination (CENEM), the 2 Indian nationals who were travelling as crew members have been evacuated to the Netherlands, where they will be quarantined as per relevant health safety protocol," it said, in a statement.

While the residents of the Canary Islands had voiced concerns that its arrival could pose a potential health risk, the Spanish government, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), agreed to allow passengers to disembark in the Canary Islands this weekend. The ship had travelled from Cape Verde, where three people were evacuated earlier due to illness.

All the passengers onboard disembarked from the ship in accordance with the protocol established by the WHO and the Spanish authorities.

"The Ambassador is in close contact with the Spanish authorities and the 2 Indian nationals (crew members) and is regularly monitoring the situation to assure the well-being and safety of the Indian nationals," the statement further added.

How Were The Passengers Evacuated?

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), the MV Hondius had six passengers with confirmed cases of hantavirus and two with suspected cases.

Three of those people have died, officials said, including two who died while aboard the ship.

An image of passengers disembarking from the ship on Sunday showed people dressed in personal protective equipment being taken to shore aboard a small boat, NBC News reported.

The first plane carrying passengers departed Tenerife for the Spanish capital Madrid shortly afterward.

Earlier, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness, said that after being brought to shore, passengers will be kept cordoned off from the public and taken to repatriation flights.

In their home countries, many will be taken onward to isolation facilities. Van Kerkhove said that the WHO is recommending “active monitoring and follow-up” for all passengers and crew for 42 days from their “last point of exposure” to a confirmed case.

Speaking to reporters in Tenerife on Sunday, Monica Garcia, Spain’s Minister of Health, said that all passengers on the ship continue to be “asymptomatic.”

Garcia said passengers from the Netherlands would be the next group to leave the vessel, with their plane also carrying German, Belgian, and Greek passengers, as well as part of the crew.

Once ashore, the passengers were expected to be transferred onto buses and taken to the local airport. Passengers from Turkey, France, ⁠the UK, and the US will then be evacuated, followed by six people from “Australia, New Zealand and Asia,” she said, as part of the last flight planned for Monday.

Also read: Hantavirus Outbreak: How MV Hondius Passengers Will Be Screened And Evacuated

WHO, CDC, ECDC Teams Monitoring Arrivals

In its latest briefing, the UN health body said emergency response teams, including experts from the Netherlands and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), are coordinating efforts to manage the situation and assess all passengers and crew upon arrival.

A WHO official is currently on board alongside two Dutch healthcare workers and an ECDC expert.

WHO Technical Officer Anais Legand said health teams will review the exposure history of every passenger and crew member to determine who may face a higher risk of infection.

Read More: WHO Says 6-Week Hantavirus Incubation Raises Concern, But No Epidemic Risk

Passengers will also be screened for symptoms such as fever, fatigue, or signs of illness.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it plans to evacuate American passengers aboard the ship on a US government medical repatriation flight to Omaha, Nebraska.