US Passenger Tests Positive for Hantavirus After Cruise Evacuation

Passengers returning from a cruise ship outbreak of hantavirus now face monitored isolation in their home countries, with one American confirmed positive and another showing mild symptoms upon arrival in Nebraska. The situation has prompted coordinated international repatriations while health authorities emphasize that broader public risk remains low.

The MV Hondius, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, docked in Tenerife after three passenger deaths linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus. World Health Organization data record seven confirmed cases and two suspected, with the first probable infection occurring before testing was possible. US Department of Health and Human Services officials reported that 17 American citizens and one British national living in the United States landed at Eppley Airfield early Monday, two of them in biocontainment units. One tested mildly PCR positive without symptoms; the second developed a mild cough that resolved before arrival. Both are under clinical assessment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s quarantine facilities for up to 42 days.

French authorities separately confirmed a positive case in a woman now isolating in Paris. Spanish health officials noted that diagnostic results for the American case were inconclusive in one laboratory and negative in another, yet US protocols proceeded with extra precautions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated the risk of community spread in the United States is extremely low because Andes virus transmission requires prolonged close contact. Officials in Canada, the Netherlands, and other nations have placed returning passengers under similar monitoring.

Pharmaceutical stocks reacted briefly to the news. Moderna rose less than 1 percent intraday after disclosing ongoing preclinical research on hantaviruses conducted with the US Army, though analysts at Evercore ISI described any revenue impact as negligible. Novavax and other vaccine developers saw smaller, unsustained moves. President Trump told reporters the incident remains under control.

The ship’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, issued a statement from the captain expressing condolences for those who died. Remaining passengers and crew continue to disembark under biosecurity protocols, with the vessel scheduled to return to the Netherlands.