One of the biggest health related news in May of 2026 was the outbreak of the Hantavirus aboard a cruise ship.
Hantavirus is a zoonotic virus ( a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans) that has at least 20 distinct strains. The virus can be acquired through contact with urine, feces, and infected rodents. The human-to human transmission is only associated with the Andes Hantavirus strain which is endemic in South America, primarily in Argentina and Chile.
The disease is rare in the United States with annual case counts between 11-48 per year. Most of the occurrence previously noted in the US were found west of the Mississippi River including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California and Washington.
The illness begins with nonspecific flu-like symptoms including fever, myalgia, headache, and chills. There is an absence of upper respiratory symptom in the early phases but low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) is typically seen in the majority of patients. A week or so later, respiratory symptoms manifest with cough, shortness of breath and low blood pressure. At this point, other laboratory findings that mark inflammatory reactions are detected and chest imaging shows infiltrates and pleural fluid.
The case-fatality rate, that is the proportion of individuals diagnosed with the disease who die from the disease is 35%. Those who recover have a long period of convalescent phase, some up to a couple of years.
The current outbreak was reported in early May 2026 on the Netherlands-flagged cruise ship M/V Hondius where people from multiple nations were present, including 41 US nationals. The Hantavirus strain, Andes was isolated from infected individuals but its place of origin is still under investigation.
As of May 27, 2026, there were a total of 13 confirmed cases from the passengers according to the WHO, including 3 deaths. No confirmed US cases have been identified as of now, but all 41 US individuals who were on board that ship are being monitored across 16 US states and federal facilities. The majority were airlifted by the US government and directly flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit in Omaha.
The virus has a long incubation period up to 6 weeks with an estimated average of 22 days according to the WHO, which led to its recommendation of 42 days of quarantine for high-risk contacts.
When we hear about new and/or newly resurfaced ancient infections come to our worlds, it is important for public health professional to disseminate the basic information from the get go. We do this in order to equip the public and avoid unnecessary fear and the spread of misinformation.
(Now let’s hope that the New World Screwworm (NWS) which is not a worm but a fly that infests cattle wounds, not humans, gets eradicated as it once was).