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ABC News

Hantavirus live updates: Atlanta passengers relocate to Nebraska quarantine facility

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 8, 2026, 10:51 PM

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus of those who were onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship stands at 10, 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

  • 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
  • WHO hunts for hantavirus source
  • American doctor who initially tested positive says further testing shows 'no evidence that I've had 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 14, 2026 3:21 PM

23 US residents under monitoring by 11 state health departments

North Dakota’s health department said it is monitoring five individuals who were exposed to a sick hantavirus cruise ship member abroad. None of these five people were on the cruise ship, the department said.

PHOTO: The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters
The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters


There are now 11 state health departments monitoring a total of at least 23 people, none of whom have symptoms.

The other states monitoring people are Texas, California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Kansas and Minnesota.

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud


May 08, 2026 10:51 PM

CDC deploys team to Canary Islands

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it deployed a team earlier Friday to the Canary Islands, where the M/V Hondius is expected to dock in the coming days.

"The team will conduct an exposure risk assessment for each American passenger and provide recommendations for the level of monitoring required," the CDC said in a statement.

The American passengers will be evacuated on a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Nebraska and transported to a quarantine center at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, the CDC said.

Another CDC team will deploy to Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, to "support public health assessment of returning passengers," the agency said.


May 08, 2026 8:57 PM

Situation on board ship is 'calm': Cruise company

Oceanwide Expeditions provided an update about the 87 guests and 60 crew member aboard the M/V Hondius Friday and said the situation on board "remains calm," as it heads to the Canary Islands.

PHOTO: Crew members of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, wait their turns for a first interview with epidemiologists, during the voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP
Crew members of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, wait their turns for a first interview with epidemiologists, during the voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP

The boat is scheduled to arrive early Sunday, but that timetable is subject to change, according to Oceanwide.

PHOTO: A passenger on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, reads the news on his mobile phone during the voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP
A passenger on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, reads the news on his mobile phone during the voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP


"Preparations regarding our point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and the onward travel plans for all guests and affected crew are being led by organizations from a number of countries, including the WHO, RIVM, and Dutch authorities, in close cooperation with Spanish government authorities," Oceanwide said in a statement.

PHOTO: Passengers on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, scan the horizon with binoculars during their voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP
Passengers on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, scan the horizon with binoculars during their voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP

The cruise company provided a breakdown of the ship's passengers and crew and revealed there are 17 Americans aboard the ship.

-ABC News' Claire Bower


May 08, 2026 8:22 PM

What to know about Nebraska quarantine unit set to receive Americans from hantavirus-stricken ship

Several American passengers from the cruise ship associated with a suspected hantavirus cluster are set to arrive at a quarantine unit in Nebraska over the next few days. Here's what to know about the facility.

The National Quarantine Unit, managed by Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the U.S.

Its 20 single-occupancy rooms with en-suite bathrooms contain individual negative air pressure systems to safely house individuals exposed to highly hazardous communicable diseases, according to Nebraska Medicine and UNMC.

The rooms also contain exercise equipment and WiFi connectivity for patients requiring longer stays.

Nebraska Medicine and UNMC also manage the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (NBU), which provides medical care to patients with highly hazardous communicable diseases.

“Unit personnel consists of a voluntary staff of select physicians, nursing, nursing assistants and respiratory therapists specially trained in high-level isolation and bio preparedness,” Nebraska Medicine and UNMC said on its website.

The NBU was activated in 2014 to care for U.S. citizens affected by the Ebola outbreak and medically evacuated from Africa and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to care for U.S. citizens from Wuhan, China, and the Diamond Princess Cruise ship.



May 08, 2026 7:39 PM

Nebraska quarantine unit says it's 'staffed and ready' to receive American passengers

The University of Nebraska, which hosts the quarantine facility the American cruise ship passengers are set to travel to, said Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) are coordinating with partners to receive the U.S. citizens.

The university said the National Quarantine Unit is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the U.S.

"We are prepared for situations exactly like this," Dr. Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, said in a statement. "Our teams have trained for decades alongside federal and state partners to make sure we can safely provide care while protecting our staff and the broader community. We are proud to support this national effort."

Nebraska Medical Center also houses the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, a highly specialized facility meant to care for patients with "high-consequence infectious diseases," the university said.

PHOTO: In this undated file photo, the Davis Global Center is shown in Omaha, Nebraska.
UNMC and Nebraska Medicine
In this undated file photo, the Davis Global Center is shown in Omaha, Nebraska.
UNMC and Nebraska Medicine

Nebraska Medicine and UNMC treated patients during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and cared for some of the first Americans diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020.

"We understand situations like this can raise questions," Ash said. "People should know these facilities were specifically designed to prevent exposure to the public. There is no risk to the community from people being cared for in these units."

In a statement released earlier on Thursday, the University of Nebraska said both units "are staffed and ready, if needed, to safely provide care while protecting our staff and the community."

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud


May 14, 2026 3:21 PM

23 US residents under monitoring by 11 state health departments

North Dakota’s health department said it is monitoring five individuals who were exposed to a sick hantavirus cruise ship member abroad. None of these five people were on the cruise ship, the department said.

PHOTO: The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters
The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters


There are now 11 state health departments monitoring a total of at least 23 people, none of whom have symptoms.

The other states monitoring people are Texas, California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Kansas and Minnesota.

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud


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