CDC Says US Faces 'Extremely Low Risk' from Hantavirus as Outbreak Remains Contained to Cruise Ship

The CDC assessed US risk from a hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius as extremely low, with WHO reporting eight total cases (five confirmed, three suspected) as of May 10, 2026. The ship departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, 2026 with 175 people. The outbreak involves Andes virus, which transmits through intimate contact. CDC staffers will escort 17 American passengers to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska when the ship arrives in Tenerife.

Cruise ship outbreak timeline

• ▪The MV Hondius is heading to the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands of Spain as of May 8, 2026
• ▪The MV Hondius stopped at the island of South Georgia from April 4-7, 2026
• ▪The MV Hondius was originally scheduled to end its voyage in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 4, 2026
• ▪The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia on April 1, 2026 with 175 people consisting of 114 guests and 61 crew
• ▪Six guests embarked and one crew member disembarked from the MV Hondius during the April 13-16, 2026 stop in Tristan da Cunha, bringing the total to 180 people
• ▪The MV Hondius began its Atlantic Odyssey voyage in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026
• ▪The MV Hondius stopped in Tristan da Cunha, including Inaccessible Island and Nightingale Island, from April 13-16, 2026
• ▪Two guests were medically evacuated from the MV Hondius via Ascension Island on April 27, 2026, bringing the total to 147 people on board

Hantavirus case details

• ▪WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said the adult male hospitalized in South Africa with hantavirus was doing better as of May 8, 2026
• ▪An adult female identified as the wife of the male who died on the MV Hondius on April 11, 2026 went ashore to Saint Helena on April 24, 2026 with gastrointestinal symptoms
• ▪Testing confirmed a hantavirus infection in the adult male evacuated to South Africa on May 2, 2026
• ▪An adult male on the MV Hondius developed symptoms of fever, headache, and mild diarrhea on April 6, 2026
• ▪Neither of the two New Jersey residents potentially exposed to hantavirus currently has symptoms of infection as of May 10, 2026
• ▪The adult female who traveled from Saint Helena to Johannesburg died on April 26, 2026
• ▪The adult female who went ashore to Saint Helena on April 24, 2026 had her symptoms worsen during a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 25, 2026
• ▪An adult male from the MV Hondius was medically evacuated to South Africa on April 27, 2026 after his condition worsened

Passenger crew nationalities

• ▪The MV Hondius has 19 guests from the United Kingdom as of May 8, 2026

Quarantine repatriation procedures

• ▪The World Health Organization informed authorities in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States about the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak on May 7, 2026

US government response criticism

• ▪Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, shared concerns that the United States is not prepared for public health crises during a May 7, 2026 press briefing
• ▪Dr. Céline Gounder called on public health officials and the Trump Administration to be more transparent about the ongoing hantavirus outbreak on May 8, 2026

Perspective of Public health experts (Dr. Céline Gounder and Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo)

• ▪Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, shared concerns that the United States is not prepared for public health crises during a May 7, 2026 press briefing
• ▪Dr. Céline Gounder called on public health officials and the Trump Administration to be more transparent about the ongoing hantavirus outbreak on May 8, 2026