Seventeen American passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship arrived in the United States early Monday after the vessel was hit by a hantavirus outbreak that has killed at least three people.
One of the passengers tested mildly positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, while another showed mild symptoms during the flight, NBC News reported. Both traveled in biocontainment units as a precaution. The group landed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha around 2:30 a.m. local time and was transferred to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s specialized quarantine facility.
The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged expedition vessel, departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a polar cruise that included Antarctica and stops at remote South Atlantic islands. The ship carried nearly 150 passengers and crew from more than 20 nationalities. Cases emerged in early April, with the first death reported on April 11, according to The New York Times.
As of recent updates, health authorities have confirmed at least seven to eight cases linked to the ship, including the three fatalities. The World Health Organization has identified the strain as Andes virus, a New World hantavirus that can, in rare instances, spread person-to-person through close contact — unlike most hantaviruses, which are primarily transmitted via rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
U.S. health officials stressed that the risk to the general public remains extremely low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working with the State Department, coordinated the repatriation. Seven other Americans who left the ship earlier are being monitored in their home states.
A British national residing in the U.S. was evacuated with the group of 17. Passengers will undergo exposure risk assessments and monitoring for up to 45 days, the typical incubation period for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which can cause severe respiratory illness.
The ship faced multiple port denials before anchoring off Spain’s Canary Islands. Disembarkation involved sealed boats and guarded buses for repatriation flights, per The Washington Post. Investigations continue into the source of the outbreak, with early suspicion on possible rodent exposure during a stop, though no prior hantavirus cases were recorded in the departure area of Tierra del Fuego.
CDC officials and international partners are tracing contacts and providing guidance to state health departments. No community transmission has been reported outside the ship.
Hantavirus has no specific cure or approved vaccine. Treatment focuses on supportive care, particularly for respiratory and cardiovascular complications. The virus is endemic in parts of the Americas, but outbreaks on cruise ships are highly unusual.
The incident has drawn attention to health protocols for remote expedition cruises. Officials from the CDC, WHO and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control continue to monitor the situation as additional passengers from other nationalities return home under observation.
