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Tag: Hantavirus

  • US Now Monitoring 41 People for Possible Hantavirus Infections

    US Now Monitoring 41 People for Possible Hantavirus Infections

    U.S. health officials confirmed Thursday that 41 people across the country are under monitoring for potential hantavirus infections following a deadly outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius that killed three people earlier this month.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed that the 41 individuals include 16 people repatriated from the cruise ship who are under quarantine at a Nebraska facility, two repatriated passengers being monitored at an Atlanta facility, seven former cruise ship passengers who departed before the outbreak was declared, and 16 people exposed during travel, including on flights.

    CDC incident manager for hantavirus, Dr. David Fitter, emphasized that no confirmed cases of the Andes hantavirus have been verified in the United States, according to ABC News.

    Monitoring of the Hantavirus

    The 16 additional people being monitored nationwide represent a significant increase from the 18 cruise ship passengers previously acknowledged by the CDC. These individuals had not been publicly disclosed before Thursday’s announcement.

    The cruise ship MV Hondius became the site of a severe hantavirus outbreak in May 2026, prompting the vessel to dock on May 10 for passenger disembarkation and medical care, Apha reported.

    Health authorities are implementing a six-week monitoring protocol for the most exposed individuals. According to CDC guidelines, people with recent exposure should be monitored for 45 days after potential contact and instructed to seek immediate medical attention if febrile or respiratory illness develops.

    Hantavirus spreads primarily through inhalation of particles contaminated with feces, urine, or saliva of infected rodents, though most strains do not transmit between people. The exception is the Andes virus, which has shown some evidence of person-to-person transmission according to the World Health Organization.

    Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headache, dizziness, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, while late symptoms appearing four to 10 days later include coughing and shortness of breath, as per Praxis Med.



    Originally published on HNGN

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  • Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak Sends Three Passengers To Hospitals And Sparks A New Case In Switzerland

    Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak Sends Three Passengers To Hospitals And Sparks A New Case In Switzerland

    Three passengers suspected of having hantavirus were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship on Wednesday and transported to hospitals in the Netherlands, as Swiss authorities also confirmed a new case of the rare virus linked to the same vessel.

    The three evacuated passengers include German, Dutch, and British nationals, with the British individual being a crew member.

    Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said that a medical aircraft carrying two of the patients landed in the Netherlands, while a second aircraft transporting the third patient experienced a delay; that passenger remained in stable condition, according to The Guardian.

    Swiss health authorities announced that a man who had been aboard the MV Hondius and returned home at the end of April tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus after seeking medical attention in Zurich. The WHO confirmed this as a third confirmed case. Swiss officials stated there was “currently no risk to the Swiss public.”

    The total number of suspected or confirmed cases has climbed to at least nine, including three deaths. Among the dead are a Dutch husband and wife, the man died aboard the ship on Apr. 11, while his wife passed away at a hospital near Johannesburg, South Africa, on Apr. 26, and a German passenger who died on board on May 2. A British passenger remains in critical but stable condition in intensive care in Johannesburg, as per CBS News.

    The Andes strain, identified in multiple cases from the ship, is primarily found in Argentina and Chile and is the only known hantavirus strain capable of human-to-human transmission, though such transmission is considered rare and typically requires very close contact.

    The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on Apr. 1 for a polar expedition cruise that included stops in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Saint Helena, and Ascension Island.

    Spain’s Health Minister Monica Garcia confirmed on Wednesday that the ship would dock at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, within three days.

    This decision was made despite pushback from local Canary Islands officials, who raised concerns about insufficient communication and the proximity of the port to local residents. Upon arrival, symptomatic passengers will be placed in quarantine, while asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to return to their home countries.

    With no approved vaccine or specific treatment for hantavirus, doctors are relying on early supportive care and intensive care unit management to improve survival rates, according to the World Health Organization.



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