CDC Issues Andes Virus Advisory After 8 Cruise-Linked Cases, 3 Fatal
Updated
Updated · CDC · May 11
CDC Issues Andes Virus Advisory After 8 Cruise-Linked Cases, 3 Fatal
3 articles · Updated · CDC · May 11
Eight cruise-linked hantavirus cases — six confirmed and two suspected — have been reported as of May 8, including three deaths, prompting the CDC to issue a nationwide health advisory.
WHO identified the outbreak strain as Andes virus, the only hantavirus known to spread person-to-person, though the CDC said the risk of broad spread in the United States remains extremely low.
147 people from 23 countries were aboard the ship, which sailed from Ushuaia on April 1 and stopped at Antarctica and other remote islands; U.S. officials are tracing exposed Americans from the vessel and a related flight.
CDC has sent a team to meet the ship in the Canary Islands and is arranging repatriation of American passengers to a specialized facility in Nebraska while advising clinicians on testing, isolation and protective gear.
Andes-virus symptoms can appear 4 to 42 days after exposure and can rapidly progress to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung disease with an estimated 38% fatality rate in patients with serious respiratory illness.
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The 2026 MV Hondius Andes Virus Outbreak: Lessons, Risks, and Global Public Health Response
Overview
A hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship prompted a swift international response, with the World Health Organization and CDC both assessing the public health risk as low. Passengers disembarked in small, protected groups to minimize exposure, following strict protocols confirmed by health officials. Seventeen American passengers returned to the US for observation, with one testing positive for the Andes virus. The outbreak highlights the importance of rapid containment, coordinated global action, and ongoing monitoring, especially as the Andes virus can spread between people in confined settings, though such transmission remains rare and inefficient.