90-Second Read: Is the Hantavirus in the US? Map Shows States Where Passengers Have Returned Home

A deadly Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has led health authorities around the world to monitor passengers who've left the ship for symptoms of the illness — including in the United States. So far, as of May 7, the World Health Organization has said there are eight confirmed or suspected Hantavirus cases linked to the cruise ship. Eight confirmed or suspected cases of Hantavirus in connection with the cruise ship MV Hondius have been reported so far, including the three fatalities, according to the WHO. The ship had about 150 passengers and crew at the start of its journey. Former passengers are being monitored in Spain, Switzerland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States after leaving the ship, authorities in those countries said.

The New Jersey Department of Health has also said it is monitoring two residents who were potentially exposed to someone with Hantavirus from the Hondius cruise ship. The current risk to the American public from the Hantavirus outbreak is "extremely low," the CDC said in a May 7 statement. A majority of them were located in states in the West and Southwest, with 62% of the cases being contracted by men, per the CDC. A new, suspected case in a former Hondius passenger on the Atlantic Island of Tristan de Cunha, which only has about 220 permanent residents, was confirmed on May 8, according to the U.K. Hantavirus was the cause of death of Betsy Arakawa, the late actor Gene Hackman's wife.

The outbreak among the eight confirmed or suspected people is believed to be the rare Andes strain of the virus, which is the only type of Hantavirus known to spread from human to human. None of these patients have shown symptoms or have tested positive for the Hantavirus, authorities said. While Hantaviruses are found in the U.S., the Andes strain implicated in the outbreak is linked to rodents living in South America, according to the CDC. The Andes strain, along with other Hantaviruses in the Americas, causes Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a severe and often fatal respiratory illness, according to the CDC. More containment and contact tracing efforts will continue after the ship docks with its remaining passengers and crew in the Canary Islands over the weekend.

Hantavirus can cause two distinct types of disease, depending on the strain. After four to 10 days, these flu-like HPS symptoms progress to: The sick passengers aboard the MV Hondius mostly reported flu-like illness and gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the WHO. There were 30 passengers who disembarked the ship in Saint Helena on April 24, according to a press update released May 7 by Oceanwide Expeditions, the operator of the cruise. One of the passengers was an individual who died April 11 while the ship was at sea, according to a timeline provided by the company. We urge all Americans aboard the ship to follow the guidance of health officials as we work to bring you home safely," the agency added.