90-Second Read: Experts in Chicago weigh in as passengers disembark from Hantavirus-hit ship

Updated on: May 10, 2026 / 7:37 PM CDT / CBS Chicago Over a dozen Americans are now in Nebraska on Sunday after being flown there by the Centers for Disease Control from Spain, where they got off a cruise ship that was hit by the deadly Hantavirus outbreak. The World Health Organization says none of the 147 people on board are experiencing any symptoms of Hantavirus. So far, there are nine confirmed or suspected cases of Hantavirus stemming from the cruise. The CDC sent a team of epidemiologists and medical professionals to the Canary Islands, where the MV Hondius cruise ship finally docked after more than a month. He says Hantavirus is a group of viruses, and most are host-specific.

Alfredo Mena Lora, says while the symptoms of Hantavirus may be similar to those of coronavirus, it's also a virus experts say they know a lot about compared to COVID when it first hit. One of the five French passengers who was taken off the ship started showing symptoms while flying home. More passengers from the ship will disembark on Monday. As that happens, the animals that are left in these smaller forest remnants tend to be more stressed out. If you're more stressed out, they're more immune suppressed.

The 17 Americans who were on board are now at the University of Nebraska for observation and quarantine. The Dutch couple spent months traveling around South America in areas known to carry the Andes strain of the virus, which is the only strain transmissible from human to human. A mammologist and researcher from DePaul University said he's not surprised this is happening. We're seeing the change of natural habitat into smaller forest patches. However, there's been evidence of species like different types of shrews, bats, and also South American possums that have been shown to have or to be host for these viruses.

That means that they're more susceptible to more pathogens," said Noé de la Sancha. He adds that different species could also be carrying them. On Saturday, a travel influencer onboard the ship posted a video on social media as the ship was on its way to dock in the Canary Islands after Spain agreed to take the ship in. He said the situation onboard was calm and that the cleanliness procedures on the ship are very strict. The seventeen Americans on board were taken to the University of Nebraska.