90-Second Read: Data: Hantavirus cases not uncommon in Arizona

A few cases of Hantavirus each year are actually normal in Arizona, according to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services. Though Arizona recently reported its first death related to Hantavirus in 2026, it's not something for the general public to worry about, Arizona health departments said. Thirteen confirmed or probable Hantavirus cases, including two Arizonans, have been linked to the cruise ship outbreak, according to the World Health Organization. Hantavirus is a rare infection that is not uncommon in Arizona or the Southwest.

New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona topped the list of states with the most cases between 1993 and 2023. The number of Hantavirus cases over the last five years was trending upward until 2025, data showed. Cases of Hantavirus spiked in 2024 when 11 people were infected, but only six people were infected in 2025. Global panic about Hantavirus spiked when it infected passengers on a cruise ship in May.

But health experts explained that the situation was rare and unique, the cruise ship was contaminated with the only strain of Hantavirus that is known to be spread between humans. Over the last five years, 24 people have been infected with Hantavirus, according to data from the state health department. There are more than 40 strains of Hantavirus, but the strain that infected the cruise passengers, the Andes strain, isn't the one most commonly found in Arizona. In a joint press release, the Mohave County health department and the Arizona Department of Health Services said Hantavirus is rare but warned the public to be vigilant as infection is typically fatal.

Four people died from Hantavirus in 2025, and another four died in 2024. The person who died of Hantavirus-related complications in northwestern Arizona was infected with the Sin Nombre strain. People who are infected with Hantavirus typically develop symptoms within one to three weeks, but symptoms can take up to six weeks to show.