18 U.S. Passengers Receiving Treatment Following Hantavirus Exposure on Cruise
on May 11, 2026
Health Officials Gave An Update On The 18 Passengers Who Have Returned To The United States
On Sunday, May 10, the Dutch-based cruise ship MV Hondius, of Oceanwide Expeditions, arrived at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, which is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands.
There, several countries have moved to evacuate their passengers, including the United States, which had 17 citizens on board and one British citizen who resides in America.
This comes almost one month to the day that the first of three passengers died of a mysterious illness during their journey on April 11.
That illness has since been determined to be a strain of hantavirus, called Andes virus.
Of the 18 passengers from the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that one American tested positive for the Hantavirus, according to The New York Times.
While hantavirus is uncommon in the United States, with only 890 cases being observed in the United States from 1993 to 2023, it is considered a serious disease on a global scale, CNN detailed.
According to the CDC, “People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. It can also spread through a bite or scratch by a rodent, but this is rare.”
The Andes virus strain, the CDC notes, has been known to be transmitted from person to person.
Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 in the rearview mirror, the 18 passengers from America who were aboard the MV Hondius have been transported from the cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean for stateside treatment.
Prior to the official disembarking of passengers aboard the MV Hondius, several American passengers left the cruise early, a matter of weeks after the first death on the cruise.
According to CBS News, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and California are all observing passengers who left the cruise early.
All of them are not showing signs of illness.
RELATED: Cruise Passengers Seek Answers After 3 Deaths, Illnesses Plague Ship
Watch A News Conference On The Treatment Of The American Passengers
At a news conference on Monday, May 11, in Omaha, Nebraska, the status of the 18 passengers who were transported to the United States was disclosed to the public.
Notably, Nebraska is home to the only federally funded quarantine unit in the United States.
Admiral Brian Christine, MD — who is the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services under HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was among those who provided information on the status and upcoming care for the 18 American passengers of the MV Hondius.
“At the Department of Health and Human Services, our approach is grounded in science, grounded in coordination, and it’s grounded in transparency,” Admiral Christine said. “This is a whole-of-government effort, across federal, state, and local partners who are all working together to ensure the safety of the American people.”
Admiral Christine then said, “Let me be crystal clear: the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very low.”
He added, “The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily and it requires prolonged close contact with someone who is already symptomatic.”
On May 6, two crew members who were in critical condition, and one passenger who was asymptomatic, were evacuated from the cruise ship for treatment before other passengers were able to disembark, Oceanwide Expeditions said.
Continuing his remarks on May 11, Admiral Christine noted that the CDC “rapidly activated its emergency operations center,” which he said entailed deploying medical teams to evaluate passengers as well as working closely with international partners and notifying state authorities while monitoring individuals and issuing guidance through the Health Alert Network.
“Transparency has been, and is, the order of the day,” Admiral Christine said. “And now, with the safe arrival of these United States citizens, here in Nebraska, CDC teams are working side by side with ASPR [Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response], UNMC [University of Nebraska Medical Center], and with state and local officials to conduct assessments and provide ongoing monitoring and care.”
From there, CAPT Brendan Jackson, MD, MPH, with the CDC, noted there is one passenger receiving care at the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, while 15 others are at the quarantine unit.
Two other passengers are being monitored in Atlanta, Georgia, at Emory University.
The decision to not have the two other passengers in Nebraska for access to the quarantine unit was to reserve space for other potential infections that may arise.
Symptom monitoring and temperature checks are being routinely conducted on the 15 in quarantine and the one passenger in the biocontainment unit, with all of them being asymptomatic.
Passengers will be undergoing a 42-day isolation program, which will allow for some passengers to be transferred to their home residence for some of the quarantine period.
CAPT Jackson said that 42 days is the longest incubation period observed in Andes virus.
Asked if it could be guaranteed that no American will catch this virus, CAPT Jackson said, “There are no guarantees in life. We’re putting as many measures in place as possible to ensure that people are safe and healthy and that we’re keeping the community safe and healthy as well.”
Watch the May 11 news conference, here:
During an event in the Oval Office on May 11, RFK Jr. said, “We have this under control and we’re not worried about it.”
Watch RFK Jr. address the hantavirus outbreak, here:
