State Watch

4 states monitoring for hantavirus after deadly cruise ship outbreak

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by Zach Kaplan - 05/07/26 1:31 PM ET

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by Zach Kaplan - 05/07/26 1:31 PM ET

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(NewsNation) — Four states are reportedly monitoring residents who have returned home from a cruise ship that suffered a viral outbreak that left at least three passengers dead and several others ill.

The World Health Organization says eight cases of the deadly hantavirus have been reported among passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. During a news briefing Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “five of the eight cases have been confirmed as the hantavirus, and the other three are suspected.”

As of Wednesday, health officials in Georgia, California and Arizona have been monitoring residents who returned from the cruise, The New York Times reported. The Virginia Department of Health is also monitoring a resident who was aboard the ship, Newsweek reported Thursday.

The ship was carrying nearly 150 people, including 17 Americans, after sailing from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean. It remains docked off the coast of Cape Verde, an island off Africa’s west coast.

The Associated Press reports the Netherlands-based cruise ship company said Thursday that 29 passengers left the vessel at St. Helena, while the Dutch Foreign Ministry put the number at about 40.

What have health officials said about hantavirus in the U.S.?

The Georgia Department of Health said in a statement to the Times it is monitoring two residents who “are currently in good health and show no signs of infection.”

A California Department of Public Health spokesman told the Times it is assisting local health authorities with monitoring an unspecified number of residents who were on the ship.

An Arizona Department of Health Services spokeswoman told the Times it is monitoring one resident who isn’t symptomatic.

The Virginia Department of Health told Newsweek the one traveler it is monitoring “is currently in good health” and “not showing any signs of infection.”

The World Health Organization said Wednesday three people with suspected hantavirus cases were evacuated from the ship.

Despite this, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoed this sentiment.

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus refers to a family of viruses, with variants found in different countries. It is usually spread by contact with urine, saliva or droppings from rodents, especially when the material becomes airborne and can be inhaled.

Ghebreyesus said this particular strain has been confirmed as the Andes virus, which can spread from person to person in certain instances.

Early symptoms resemble the flu, with fever, chills, muscle aches and headaches. Those symptoms usually appear between one and eight weeks after exposure to the virus. As the disease progresses, chest tightness might appear as the lungs fill with fluid.

Some hantaviruses can also cause hemorrhagic fever and kidney damage, which usually happens between one and two weeks after exposure. There are no specific treatments or cures for hantavirus.

NewsNation’s Nick Smith, Taylor Delandro and Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.

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