90-Second Read: American evacuated from cruise ship tests positive for Hantavirus, another has symptoms, HHS confirms

Department of Health and Human Services, and another person had mild symptoms. Seventeen Americans who had been on board a cruise ship with a Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Monday, May 11, 2026, at a hospital facility in Omaha, Nebraska. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms. Passengers wore personal protective equipment (PPE), as they disembarked from the MV Hondius cruise ship off Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. A motorcade of emergency vehicles drove the 17 Americans to ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) facilities at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.

One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring," a Nebraska Medicine Facebook post issued on Sunday night stated. Andes virus is a type of Hantavirus spread by rodents in South America and, less commonly, by other infected people. This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 4, 2026. They were managed separately from other passengers during transport using appropriate biocontainment measures. The rodents that carry Andes virus have not been found in the United States.

Each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition," the post added. The outlet reported that the individual was one of the five French people who had been passengers aboard the vessel who were repatriated Sunday. The woman developed symptoms while flying to Paris, Rist informed public broadcaster France-Inter. This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person.

This includes direct physical contact, prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces, and exposure to the sick person's body fluids.