Hantavirus live updates: 16 at facility in Nebraska, 2 at hospital in Atlanta

A flight carrying U.S. citizens who were on the ship arrived Monday in Nebraska.

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Last updated: Tuesday, May 12, 2026 8:23PM GMT
MV Hondius cruise ship passenger speaks out from quarantine unit

Passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship started disembarking Sunday in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the ship has risen to 10, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, 15 are in the quarantine unit and one person is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta "for further assessment and care," officials said.

May 11, 2026, 11:44 AM

What is hantavirus and is there a vaccine?

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype, the Andes virus, from South America, according to the WHO.

Is there a vaccine?

There are currently no approved vaccines anywhere in the world that specifically protect against the Andes virus, but scientists are working on it.

Read more about hantavirus here.

ByYouri Benadjaoud ABCNews logo
12:56 PM GMT

12 US residents under monitoring by state health departments

Twelve U.S. residents are under monitoring by state health departments for hantavirus, according to officials. None of these 12 people have symptoms, officials said.

Seven of the 12 were cruise ship passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was declared: two are in Texas, two are in Georgia, one is in Virginia, one is in Arizona and one is in California.

The other five people were exposed to an infected individual during air travel, officials said. Two are in New Jersey, two are in Maryland and one is in California, officials said.

ByBeatrice Peterson ABCNews logo
12:32 PM GMT

Maryland health officials monitoring 2 residents after possible hantavirus exposure

The Maryland Department of Health said it is monitoring two residents who were on an overseas flight with a MV Hondius cruise ship passenger who later tested positive for the hantavirus.

Health officials said the monitoring is out of an abundance of caution and that the risk to the public is very low.

"No hantavirus cases have been identified in Maryland since 2019. Andes virus infections have never been reported in Maryland," the Maryland Health Department said.

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May 11, 2026, 10:19 PM GMT

CA health officials monitoring 4 residents exposed to hantavirus amid outbreak

California health officials on Monday released new information about four residents who were exposed to the hantavirus and are now being monitored, all of whom are currently healthy and not showing symptoms.

A South Bay resident from Santa Clara County was on the MV Hondius cruise ship but disembarked before the outbreak. Two other Californians were also on the ship and disembarked over the weekend in the Canary Islands. They are now in quarantine at a federal facility in Nebraska.

The fourth Californian, a Sacramento County resident, has returned home. That person was not on the ship but was exposed to someone who was ill on a plane in South Africa, according to health officials.

All four individuals are being closely monitored.

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May 11, 2026, 7:41 PM GMT

Eligible passengers who opt to go home won't fly commercial: CDC

In the coming days, as the cruise ship passengers decide whether to stay at the University of Nebraska quarantine facility or self-monitor at home, those who opt to go home will not fly on a commercial flight, an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told ABC News. Passengers who opt to go home will have been assessed by health officials for any signs of illness.

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud