One American passenger evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, according to U.S. health officials, as authorities work to contain potential exposure among dozens of travelers.
The passenger was among 18 Americans repatriated to the United States after traveling aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition ship MV Hondius, where multiple passengers became ill during a South Atlantic voyage that began in Argentina in April. Three people connected to the outbreak have died.
Officials said the infected American tested “mildly” positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare version capable of limited human-to-human transmission. The passenger is asymptomatic and is being monitored at the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Another American passenger showed mild symptoms and, along with a partner, was transferred to Emory University Hospital for specialized treatment and observation.
The outbreak has prompted a multinational public health response involving the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and health agencies across Europe and the Americas. The WHO said at least nine cases tied to the cruise ship have now been identified.
Hantaviruses are typically spread through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva. The Andes strain, however, is one of the few known hantaviruses that can spread between humans through prolonged close contact. Health officials stressed that the public risk remains low and said the situation should not be compared to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Americans were flown from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands to Nebraska aboard a government-chartered medical flight. Sixteen passengers are now being monitored at the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha and could remain under observation for up to 42 days.
Federal officials said passengers will continue undergoing testing and monitoring as investigators attempt to determine how the outbreak began aboard the ship.
