Hantavirus risk to public remains very low, U.S. health official says

Hantavirus risk to public remains very low, U.S. health official says
The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Spain. 11 May, 2026.
Reuters

The risk from hantavirus to the general public remains very low, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more than 100 staff members actively working on the outbreak, a governmental health official said on Wednesday.

"To the American public, please know we are here to protect your health. Based on current information, the risk" to the general population remains low, Dr. David Fitter, the Incident Manager for the CDC's hantavirus response, said. 

Response and monitoring in Nebraska

The CDC is conducting public health assessments on a site in Nebraska, where 16 of the 18 passengers from the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak were flown to and quarantined on Monday, said Dr. Brendan Jackson, the CDC team lead in Nebraska.

The group had been aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship linked to an outbreak of the Andes virus, the only hantavirus species known to be capable of limited person-to-person spread.

One passenger who officials on Monday said had tested positive for hantavirus and was placed in a Nebraska biocontainment unit was later medically cleared to move to quarantine with the others.

The passengers are currently being monitored for hantavirus at U.S. medical facilities, including 16 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and two in Atlanta. One of the Atlanta patients is experiencing symptoms, officials said at a briefing.

Hantavirus is usually spread by wild rodents.

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