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Hantavirus live updates: Risk to general public 'very, very low'

PHOTO: The Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is refueled by a tanker in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026.
2:20
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images
1 American positive for hantavirus, another symptomatic, HHS says
By Christopher Watson, Ivan Pereira, Jon Haworth, Mary Kekatos, Nadine El-Bawab, Leah Sarnoff, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: May 11, 2026, 2:57 PM

Passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship started disembarking Sunday in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the ship has risen to 10, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; 15 are in the quarantine unit and one person is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta “for further assessment and care," officials said.

Key Headlines

  • 15 in quarantine, 1 in biocontainment unit in Nebraska; 2 in Atlanta
  • Risk to general public 'very, very low'
  • Hantavirus on ship is Andes variant
  • Ship captain thanks guests, crew for their kindness, patience during 'challenging' weeks
  • French passenger tests positive, minister says
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 11, 2026 1:05 PM

Ship captain thanks guests, crew for their kindness, patience during 'challenging' weeks

Jan Dobrogowski, the captain of the Hondius, recorded a message thanking passengers and crew for their patience during the “extremely challenging” last few weeks.

“What touched me the most, what moved me the most, was your patience, your discipline, and also kindness -- kindness that you show to each other. ... I've witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength," Dobrogowski said, according to the Associated Press.

PHOTO: Passengers carry their belongings in plastic bags after being evacuated from the MV Hondius after docking in the Granadilla Port, May 10, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
Passengers carry their belongings in plastic bags after being evacuated from the MV Hondius after docking in the Granadilla Port, May 10, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images


He added, “Our thoughts are with the ones that are no longer with us. ... This can be very painful to the people on board, especially already dealing with grief, worry and perhaps uncertainty.”


May 11, 2026 2:57 PM

15 in quarantine, 1 in biocontainment unit in Nebraska; 2 in Atlanta

Fifteen passengers were welcomed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s quarantine unit Monday morning and one person who tested positive is in the biocontainment unit, according to officials.

The quarantine unit is more like a hotel, while the biocontainment unit is patient-based care, more like a hospital, officials said.

The 15 passengers at the quarantine unit are in “good spirits,” the unit’s medical director, Dr. Mike Waldman, said.

PHOTO: Journalists work with the Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius in the background in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images
Journalists work with the Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius in the background in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images

“We’ve been doing symptom monitoring, as well as temperature checks," he said. "Everyone here is asymptomatic and ... do not have a temperature at this time. They're all resting now and we'll do further assessments later in the day, once they've had a chance to sleep."

The one person in the biocontainment unit is doing well and does not have symptoms, but is “very tired” after a “really long journey,” officials said.

The 15 in the quarantine unit will have the option to stay in Nebraska at the quarantine center for the entire 42-day monitoring period, or go home to monitor symptoms, in coordination with their state and local health departments, officials said. This will be based on whether they develop symptoms, have a support structure at home to quarantine and can contact their health department, officials said.

Besides the 16 cruise ship passengers in Nebraska, two cruise ship passengers -- who are a couple -- were flown to Atlanta “for further assessment and care," officials said. At least one of the two in Atlanta had symptoms, officials said.

PHOTO: The Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is refueled by a tanker in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images
The Dutch flagged hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is refueled by a tanker in the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images


The two patients in Atlanta "are under medical evaluation" at Emory University’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit, officials said, noting that their transfer there was "contingency planning."

"That means, if we're on it, since there was symptoms involved, they want to make sure that if they turn out to actually have the hantavirus, that it makes sure that the biocontainment unit here that provides medical care doesn't take up too much space, in case it's needed by the other passengers who are currently here in the more residential section," officials said.

The Georgia Department of Public Health said, "There is no risk to the public at this time. ... DPH is also remaining actively in communication with the CDC and other partners and will continue to do so for as long as necessary as we monitor each development in the coming days and weeks.”


May 11, 2026 2:11 PM

Risk to general public 'very, very low'

The “risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low,” Dr. Brian Christine, Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a news conference on Monday.

The Andes variant "does not spread easily, and it requires prolonged, close contact with someone who is already symptomatic," he assured.

Even though, he said, the department has taken the situation "very seriously from the very start."


May 11, 2026 2:05 PM

Hantavirus on ship is Andes variant

Initial genetic analyses confirmed that the hantavirus on the Hondius cruise ship is of the "known Andes variant and rule out any relevant mutations," Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said in a post on social media.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaulé



May 11, 2026 1:05 PM

Ship captain thanks guests, crew for their kindness, patience during 'challenging' weeks

Jan Dobrogowski, the captain of the Hondius, recorded a message thanking passengers and crew for their patience during the “extremely challenging” last few weeks.

“What touched me the most, what moved me the most, was your patience, your discipline, and also kindness -- kindness that you show to each other. ... I've witnessed your caring, your unity and quiet strength," Dobrogowski said, according to the Associated Press.

PHOTO: Passengers carry their belongings in plastic bags after being evacuated from the MV Hondius after docking in the Granadilla Port, May 10, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images
Passengers carry their belongings in plastic bags after being evacuated from the MV Hondius after docking in the Granadilla Port, May 10, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images


He added, “Our thoughts are with the ones that are no longer with us. ... This can be very painful to the people on board, especially already dealing with grief, worry and perhaps uncertainty.”


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