Administration

Trump on Hantavirus: ‘It’s very much we hope under control’

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by Sarah Davis - 05/08/26 7:59 AM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/08/26 7:59 AM ET

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President Trump told reporters on Thursday that he has been briefed on the recent outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, and it is “very much under control.”

“We have a lot of people, a lot of great people, studying it,” Trump said. “It should be fine, we hope.”

Three people from the ship have died from suspected hantavirus infection, and a total of five out of the eight suspected cases have been confirmed through lab testing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a Thursday media briefing that the confirmed cases involve the Andes virus, the only species of hantavirus “known to be capable of limited transmission between humans.”

The virus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents. Common symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment for hantavirus, but early treatment “improves outcomes” for patients, according to the WHO.

The cruise ship began its journey on April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina. The ship’s 140 remaining passengers and crew members are currently headed to Spain’s Canary Islands.

None of those currently on board the ship have reported hantavirus symptoms, according to a Thursday update from the cruise ship company, Oceanwide Expeditions.

The WHO announced on Wednesday that three people evacuated from the ship and were transported to the Netherlands for medical care. Two of these people are in a “stable condition” in a Dutch hospital and one person is asymptomatic and now in Germany, Ghebreyesus said on Thursday morning.

Additionally, two other people are receiving medical treatment in South Africa and Switzerland, according to Ghebreyesus.

The WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday that public health risk of this virus remains low and that it is not the same as COVID-19.

The CDC said in a Wednesday statement that it is “closely monitoring the situation.”

“Our top priority remains the health and safety of all U.S. passengers,” the statement reads. “The Department of State is leading a coordinated, whole-of-government response including direct contact with passengers, diplomatic coordination, and engagement with domestic and international health authorities.”

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