Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Plain answers to the questions people are asking most about the MV Hondius outbreak.
Can I catch hantavirus from someone who was on the ship?
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Possibly — but only through very close contact. Andes virus is the only known hantavirus strain that can spread from person to person. This spread has been documented among close household contacts (people sharing a home or caring for a patient). Casual contact — passing someone in public, sitting near them on a plane — is not considered a meaningful risk. National health authorities are tracing close contacts of confirmed cases and providing guidance directly.
What are the symptoms? When should I see a doctor?
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Early symptoms are easy to mistake for the flu: fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and headache. Within days, some patients develop a dry cough and shortness of breath as fluid builds in the lungs — this is a medical emergency. If you were on MV Hondius or had close contact with a confirmed case and develop any of these symptoms within 8 weeks, call your doctor or emergency services immediately and mention your exposure history. Do not wait.
Is there a treatment or cure?
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No approved antiviral treatment exists. Care is supportive — oxygen therapy, fluids, and in severe cases mechanical ventilation in an ICU. Early hospital admission significantly improves survival odds. The faster a patient gets to intensive care, the better the outcome. This is why recognising symptoms early is critical.
How did the outbreak start?
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The working hypothesis is that Case 1 — an adult male — acquired Andes virus in Argentina before boarding MV Hondius, likely through exposure to infected rodent droppings during his travels. He developed symptoms aboard ship on April 6 and died on April 11. Andes virus can spread person-to-person, which is believed to have led to subsequent cases among fellow passengers and crew. This is the first known hantavirus outbreak to occur aboard a ship.
Am I at risk if I wasn't on the ship?
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For most people, the risk is very low. The outbreak is contained to individuals directly connected to MV Hondius. The general public is not at risk of community spread. If you live in a rural area of the American Southwest, Argentina, Chile, or Brazil, the normal endemic risk from rodent exposure exists year-round — but that is unrelated to this cluster. The WHO and ECDC have assessed the risk to the general public as low.
How many countries are affected?
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As of May 19, 2026, active monitoring spans at least 12 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Saint Helena, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States. In the US, 18 exposed passengers are being monitored at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and 7 others at home. CDC has confirmed no Andes virus cases in the US from this outbreak. All passengers from repatriation flights 2 and 3 tested negative as of May 15. 42-day monitoring continues for all exposed persons given Andes virus's long incubation window.
What is WHO doing about it?
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WHO has issued two Disease Outbreak Notices (DON599 on May 4 and DON600 on May 8) and deployed public health experts directly onto MV Hondius. WHO is coordinating international contact tracing across all affected countries, providing technical guidance to national health authorities, and conducting joint risk assessments with ECDC. The response involves health authorities in more than 10 countries working under WHO's International Health Regulations framework.