90-Second Read: Doctor on ship who helped care for passengers with Hantavirus leaves medical isolation unit

An oncologist traveling on the cruise ship at the center of a Hantavirus outbreak has been cleared to leave a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska, where he was the lone American placed in isolation after he helped care for fellow passengers who became sick on board. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that a total of 11 Hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported worldwide, including three deaths. Health authorities say it is the first Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship.

The Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius is seen at anchor at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. Stephen Kornfeld of Bend, Oregon, was among more than 120 passengers and crew evacuated from the ship and flown to different countries to enter quarantine. In addition to the passengers taken to Nebraska, two other Americans are being monitored at the serious communicable disease unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people, though the Andes virus detected on the Hondius may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The WHO is recommending that passengers and crew from the cruise ship stay in quarantine, either at home or other facilities, for 42 days. Gratz) Nebraska Medicine's Davis Global Center is seen on Sunday, May 10,2026 in Omaha, Neb.