90-Second Read: Hantavirus patients arrive in the U.S. How its transmitted, symptoms, more

Further updates on an outbreak of Hantavirus aboard a Dutch cruise ship are making waves as passengers disembark. As of Friday, May 8, the World Health Organization confirmed eight suspected and confirmed cases associated with the M/V Hondius outbreak, including five people confirmed to have Hantavirus and three others suspected of contracting it. Hantavirus is typically a rodent-borne virus, but officials have confirmed this particular strain to be the Andes virus, which can be transmitted from human to human. While no further deaths have been reported since the first three announced, a total of eight confirmed and suspected cases have been reported in association with the ship's outbreak. Centers for Disease Control explains that Hantaviruses are a type of virus often spread by contact with rodents, including mice and rats.

As previously reported by USA TODAY, three people who were aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean died of what is suspected to be infections caused by Hantavirus. In HFRS, the severity of the disease varies depending on the virus causing the infection; Hantaan and Dobrava virus infections usually cause severe symptoms, where 5-15% of cases are fatal. CDC data show that 864 cases of the Hantavirus disease were reported in the United States between 1993 and 2022. The ship began its Atlantic Odyssey voyage in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. The ship is now heading to the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, in the Canary Islands of Spain, where passengers and crew are expected to be screened before being repatriated.

These illnesses include Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome or HPS, found in the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S., and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome or HFRS, a group of clinically similar illnesses caused by Hantaviruses found mostly in Europe and Asia. Oceanwide Expeditions' M/V Hondius ship is the site of the recent infections. WHO has also repeatedly said the risk to the general public is considered low. Symptoms of HPS usually begin to show 1-8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent. The family of viruses causes two syndromes, both of which can cause serious illness and death.

No further deaths have been reported as of Monday, May 11. A news briefing confirmed the arrival of the passengers at the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska. It was supposed to end in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 4, according to operator Oceanwide Expeditions. Officials believe the outbreak began when a married couple, Dutch nationals, were infected while they were off the cruise ship, engaging in wildlife expeditions. Two individuals, one who tested positive and one who is symptomatic, have been transferred to Atlanta for further testing, officials said at the briefing.