First Confirmed Case of Hantavirus from Cruise Ship Outbreak
One of the 17 Americans evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the disease, while another is experiencing mild symptoms, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This marks the first confirmed case of hantavirus among those being evacuated from the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius.
At least six Americans were being monitored for the virus, but this is the first confirmed instance. All the US citizens, along with one British national who resides in the US, are being flown back to the United States. The two passengers showing symptoms are traveling in biocontainment units on the aircraft, which is scheduled to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday.
‘One passenger currently has mild symptoms and another passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus,’ HHS stated. 
Destination Nebraska
The Americans will first be taken to the University of Nebraska, which houses a federally funded quarantine facility. There, they will be assessed to determine if they have been in close contact with any symptomatic individuals and their risk levels for spreading the virus. Nebraska Medicine mentioned that the person who tested positive will undergo further testing upon arrival.
Each of the 17 Americans will receive clinical assessments and care based on their condition. Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Medical Center, explained that one passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while others will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring.
A Deadly Outbreak
According to a World Health Organization update from Friday, eight people who are no longer on the MV Hondius have fallen ill, with six confirmed to have contracted the virus. A Dutch couple and a German national have died as a result of the outbreak. The Andes strain of hantavirus, identified in the ship’s outbreak, can cause severe lung illness and is fatal in up to 50% of cases, according to the WHO. 
Spain and France have evacuated their citizens from the MV Hondius, which is anchored near Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, and Ireland are also flying home their nationals who were on the ship.
So far, there have been eight cases of hantavirus linked to the outbreak that began on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius headed for the Canary Islands in early April. Five infections have been confirmed, three are suspected, and three people have died already—raising fears that the disease may become a deadly outbreak.
International Rescue
The US is among several countries that have come to rescue nearly 140 passengers and crew members trapped on board the ill-fated vessel. Evacuations for Americans on board began Sunday evening local time, in conjunction with the Spanish government after MV Hondius docks in Tenerife.
From the ship, all passengers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Spanish passengers were the first to leave, flown to Madrid and taken to a military hospital. Hours later, a plane that evacuated American passengers took off from the airport for Omaha. 
Destination Omaha
The Americans will land at the Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha before heading to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s new state-of-the-art biocontainment unit. The CDC will also send a team to the university for support.
All travelers will be quarantined individually for the time being, according to Michael Wadman, medical director of the university’s National Quarantine Unit. ‘Each individual will have their own room,’ Wadman said, adding that there is no standard quarantine period set for those being brought in. ‘Each of the rooms looks very much like a hotel room with the addition of availability of WiFi, exercise equipment. If the quarantine is prolonged, those would be important in terms of making sure they’re comfortable.’
The unit, which opened in 2019, was funded by a $20 million Department of Health and Human Services grant. It previously treated Ebola patients and some of the first COVID-19 patients. Nebraska Medicine is one of a handful of hospitals in the US with specialized treatment units for people with highly dangerous infectious diseases. 
Beyond the Ship
‘We are prepared for situations exactly like this,’ Dr. Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, said in a statement. Images of hazmat-suited medical workers airlifting gravely ill passengers from the MV Hondius earlier this week were reminiscent of the darkest days of the Covid pandemic. 
Meanwhile, passengers who previously left the stricken vessel are now under home quarantine and being closely monitored, including Americans in six states—Arizona, California, Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia. In a recent development, a Spanish woman who was on the same flight as a passenger who later died from the disease has reportedly been hospitalized with a suspected infection. She was said to have been ‘two rows behind the person who died’ and had ‘only brief contact.’ No further details have been released.
Those most at risk of severe illness include older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and anyone exposed to a high dose of the virus—such as through prolonged exposure to contaminated rodent droppings or dust. In the US, hantavirus remains extremely rare.
Rare in the US, Common Abroad
The CDC says 890 cases were reported between 1993 and the end of 2023—an average of about 30 cases a year. Worldwide, however, the WHO estimates there are between 10,000 and more than 100,000 infections annually, with the largest burden in Asia and Europe. Experts say the strain involved in the cruise ship outbreak is not significantly different from other Andes virus outbreaks and shows no signs of mutation.
The World Health Organization considers the risk to the wider public from the outbreak as low. On Friday, the WHO said a flight attendant on a plane briefly boarded by an infected cruise passenger has tested negative for hantavirus. Her possible infection had raised concerns about the virus’ potential transmissibility.
However, the outbreak has inevitably raised alarm—not least because hantavirus is little known outside medical circles, has no specific cure, and can in some cases trigger catastrophic lung failure within days. Symptoms usually begin between one and eight weeks after exposure. They advise anyone who develops symptoms after a possible hantavirus exposure to seek medical attention promptly.
Warning signs include fever, muscle aches, breathing difficulties, chest tightness, severe weakness, or symptoms developing after known exposure to rodents or an infected person. In those circumstances, doctors say people should seek urgent medical advice and inform healthcare providers about any possible hantavirus exposure.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the virus is ‘very much, we hope, under control.’ ‘We have a lot of people, a lot of great people, studying it,’ Trump added. ‘It should be fine, we hope.’
