In May 2026, Oceanwide Expeditions, a global cruise company, announced that three passengers aboard the MV Hondius died from hantavirus, and several others have reported experiencing symptoms and tested positive for the virus. The situation is evolving, and additional details continue to emerge daily. At this time, the risk to the Georgetown University community appears to be low. Georgetown’s Public Health team monitors infectious diseases locally, nationally and internationally to ensure that the university community is informed of potential public health risks. We will continue to monitor this emerging situation.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that are carried by rodents. Usually, people are exposed through contact with rodent feces, urine or saliva. However, depending on which area in the world an individual is exposed to hantavirus, transmission and symptoms can be different.
Current Status
In the case of the passengers aboard the MV Hondius, experts suspect the exposure to hantavirus may have occurred prior to boarding in Argentina; however, the WHO cannot rule out that the original case may have been exposed at one of the islands for excursion activities during the cruise.
After testing from the World Health Organization (WHO), the strain was determined to be the Andes virus, which is rare but transmissible from person to person. The Andes virus is currently only known to be in South America, but it can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which is a severe respiratory disease. Symptoms can include: headache, fever, cough, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite.
The incubation period, or the time it takes before symptoms begin, for the Andes virus is four to 42 days. The longer the incubation period is, the harder it can be to trace to the original source of the exposure.
As of May 12, 2026, 18 Americans arrived to the U.S.; 16 individuals are at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, and two were sent to a medical facility in Atlanta. One of the individuals who departed the ship early lives in Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Health issued a press release on May 7, 2026.
Review the chart below to evaluate your risk. At this time, the risk to the public appears to be low. Georgetown’s Public Health team will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates in the event that a risk to the Georgetown community presents.
Source: The New York Times
Prevention
Preventive measures include avoiding areas where large amounts of rodents may be present, especially in South America, frequent handwashing and avoiding close contact with those who may have been exposed or have symptoms. There are no vaccines available for hantavirus.