90-Second Read: What we know about Hantavirus cases tied to deadly cruise ship outbreak

Health officials have identified at least 10 confirmed or suspected cases of Hantavirus tied to an outbreak on the M/V Hondius cruise ship. Updated on: May 11, 2026 / 12:01 PM EDT / CBS News Health officials around the world are monitoring a deadly Hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch-flagged cruise ship. The strain identified in the outbreak on the M/V Hondius cruise ship is called the Andes virus, which is the only known Hantavirus strain to spread person to person. So far, there are at least 10 confirmed or suspected cases connected to the ship, including three deaths. However, he is now believed to be the first Hantavirus case on the ship.

The third person evacuated, a German passenger, was not showing symptoms of Hantavirus Wednesday but had been closely associated with the German woman who died on May 2, the cruise operator said. A Swiss man who disembarked the cruise ship in Saint Helena tested positive for the Andes strain of Hantavirus, according to Swiss health officials and the WHO. On Friday morning, a WHO official confirmed to CBS News that a KLM airline flight attendant, who had come into contact with cruise passengers and was hospitalized in the Netherlands for monitoring, had tested negative for Hantavirus. Here's what to know about the ones confirmed or suspected so far. Her blood later tested positive for the Andes strain of Hantavirus.

Hantaviruses are a family of rare viruses usually passed to humans through contact with contaminated rodent waste or saliva. Because his symptoms were similar to those of other respiratory diseases, Hantavirus was not suspected at the time of his death, and no samples were taken, Tedros said. The country's health minister later told France Inter radio the woman tested positive for Hantavirus and her condition had deteriorated. The man's wife, who was with him on the cruise, had not shown any symptoms, but was self-isolating as a precaution, the Swiss public health agency said. Transmission occurs through prolonged close contact, health officials say.

Before boarding the cruise ship on April 1, the Dutch couple had taken a bird-watching trip through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, visiting sites where the species of rat known to carry the Andes virus was present, according to the WHO. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health is monitoring two residents who were not on the ship but may have been exposed to a confirmed case during a flight. One American "tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus," and another began showing symptoms, the Department of Health and Human Services said on May 10. The CDC's Brendan Jackson, acting director of the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, said on May 11 that the passenger who tested positive was tested on the ship before returning to the U.S..