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Hantavirus updates: Canadian cruise ship passenger tests positive for hantavirus 

PHOTO: The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
1:35
Stringer/Reuters
Officials tracking at least 41 Americans after deadly hantavirus outbreak
By Christopher Watson, Ivan Pereira, Jon Haworth, Mary Kekatos, Nadine El-Bawab, Leah Sarnoff, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: May 17, 2026, 8:26 PM

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus of those who were onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship stands at 11, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

No cases of Andes hantavirus have been confirmed in the U.S. The eighteen American ship passengers are being monitored at the quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Key Headlines

  • Canadian cruise ship passenger tests positive for hantavirus
  • Health officials in Washington state tracking hantavirus case unrelated to cruise ship
  • 2 cruise ship passengers originally in Atlanta now at Nebraska quarantine facility
  • Suspected hantavirus case at upstate New York high school, not linked to cruise ship
  • US has no cases of Andes hantavirus
Here's how the news is developing.

Pinned
May 08, 2026 5:17 PM

What is hantavirus and how does it spread?

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

PHOTO: Stock photo of a colorized electron micrograph of the Hantavirus.
Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Lib/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images
Stock photo of a colorized electron micrograph of the Hantavirus.
Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Lib/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype from South America, according to the WHO.

Read more about hantavirus here.


Pinned
May 08, 2026 3:05 AM

Cruise passenger gives update as ship makes way to Canary Islands

One of the passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a cluster of hantavirus cases, says other passengers aboard the MV Hondius ship are remaining calm and keeping their spirits up.

In a statement provided to ABC News, passenger Kasem Ibn Hattuta said several doctors are now on board, which he said is reassuring to passengers, who are wearing masks and keeping their distance inside the ship.

"The vibe on the ship might’ve been calm with a bit of concern because we were worried about the sick ones, but now it doesn’t feel different than any of the other sea days we had before," he said in the statement. "Everyone is keeping high spirit[s], people are smiling and taking the situation calmly."

PHOTO: The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Misper Apawu/AP
The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Misper Apawu/AP

The statement went on to say: "We had several doctors join us on the ship before departing Cape Verde, which was also reassuring as we now have specialists on board, no one currently has any hanta related symptoms and we hope it continues this way."

He said passengers are free to share whatever they like online but some passengers have chosen not to post anything publicly because they want to maintain their privacy.


May 17, 2026 8:26 PM

MV Hondius scheduled to dock in the Netherlands Monday

The MV Hondius is scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Monday, according to a statement from Oceanwide Expeditions.

"No symptomatic individuals are present on board," the statement said, adding that "the vessel remains on course and is scheduled to arrive in the Port of Rotterdam tomorrow, 18 May," where it will be cleaned and disinfected.

"The remaining crew and medical staff on board m/v Hondius will disembark in a staggered approach upon arrival in Rotterdam, in close coordination with the cleaning process," the Oceanwide Expeditions statement said.

"Please refer to the RIVM for more information regarding quarantine measures," the statement further said, referring to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands.


May 17, 2026 6:36 PM

Canadian cruise ship passenger tests positive for hantavirus

A Canadian that was one of the four passengers from the MV Hondius repatriated to the country has tested positive for hantavirus, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The person was previously transported to the hospital Thursday along with their partner, who also was a cruise ship passenger, the agency said in a Saturday statement. Both displayed hantavirus symptoms but the partner has tested negative so far, the agency said in a Sunday update, adding that both people remain hospitalized in isolation.

"There have been no further cases identified at this time. All high-risk contacts are isolating and will continue to be monitored closely by local public health," the statement Sunday further said.

This brings the total number of hantavirus cases connected to the MV Hondius to 11.

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud


May 16, 2026 3:02 AM

Health officials in Washington state tracking hantavirus case unrelated to cruise ship

Washington health officials Friday night said they were tracking a hantavirus case that is unrelated to the cruise ship outbreak.

The person was infected after exposure to a rodent, the Washington State Department of Health said in a news release. The person was infected with a strain of hantavirus that does not spread person to person, the health department said.

Separately, the department said it is aware of six people that were former cruise ship passengers or exposed to an infected cruise ship passenger on a flight -- part of the 41 people across the country under monitoring for potential infection. None have shown any signs of illness.

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud



May 15, 2026 8:54 PM

2 cruise ship passengers originally in Atlanta now at Nebraska quarantine facility

The two repatriated cruise ship passengers who were being monitored at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta have now been transferred to the quarantine facility in Nebraska, according to Nebraska Medicine.

Now all of the 18 American ship passengers are under monitoring at the Nebraska quarantine unit.


May 08, 2026 3:05 AM

Cruise passenger gives update as ship makes way to Canary Islands

One of the passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a cluster of hantavirus cases, says other passengers aboard the MV Hondius ship are remaining calm and keeping their spirits up.

In a statement provided to ABC News, passenger Kasem Ibn Hattuta said several doctors are now on board, which he said is reassuring to passengers, who are wearing masks and keeping their distance inside the ship.

"The vibe on the ship might’ve been calm with a bit of concern because we were worried about the sick ones, but now it doesn’t feel different than any of the other sea days we had before," he said in the statement. "Everyone is keeping high spirit[s], people are smiling and taking the situation calmly."

PHOTO: The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Misper Apawu/AP
The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Misper Apawu/AP

The statement went on to say: "We had several doctors join us on the ship before departing Cape Verde, which was also reassuring as we now have specialists on board, no one currently has any hanta related symptoms and we hope it continues this way."

He said passengers are free to share whatever they like online but some passengers have chosen not to post anything publicly because they want to maintain their privacy.


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