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Seventeen US citizens were repatriated from a cruise ship after one tested positive for the Andes strain of Hantavirus. Two were transported in biocontainment units, and upon arrival in Omaha, they will receive medical evaluation and monitoring.
American passengers from the cruise ship, MV Hondius that was stricken with hantavirus, arrived in Omaha, Nebraska after flying from Tenerife, Spain on Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)(AP)After one American passenger linked to the Hondius outbreak tested positive for the Andes strain of Hantavirus Infection, while another experienced mild symptoms, authorities repatriated 17 US citizens from the cruise ship.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Americans were traveling on a flight from Tenerife that arrived in Nebraska, according to New York Times. Video footage from the Associated Press showed a Kalitta Air aircraft landing in Omaha early Monday.
The US Department of State transported them to the United States on a special evacuation flight, as per Bloomberg. Two of them were being flown in biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” the US Department of Health and Human Services said in a post on X late Sunday.
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Seventeen US citizens were repatriated from Spain after one passenger linked to the Hantavirus outbreak tested positive for the Andes strain and another experienced mild symptoms. They were transported on a special evacuation flight for medical evaluation and monitoring.
The Andes strain of Hantavirus is the only known variant capable of limited person-to-person transmission in close-contact settings. While typically rodent-borne, it can spread between people in close proximity, though not airborne like influenza or COVID-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that travelers be actively monitored for up to 42 days due to the virus's extended incubation period. This monitoring includes health checks and potential quarantine.
Early symptoms of Hantavirus infection resemble influenza, including fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal problems. In severe cases, it can progress to Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome with shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs.
The Americas' strain of hantavirus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe respiratory illness. Approximately 38% of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die, according to the ECDC.
Upon arrival, the passengers are expected to be taken to a specialised treatment facility in Omaha for medical evaluation and monitoring, with additional treatment to be provided if necessary.
The development represents the first confirmed infection involving a US citizen linked to the outbreak, which has already claimed three lives and triggered a response spanning several countries.
What did WHO say?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that all laboratory-confirmed cases have involved the Andes strain of Hantavirus Infection, the only known variant capable of limited person-to-person transmission in close-contact settings. The agency added that it considers the overall global risk to be low.
Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, informed CNN’s State of the Union, “We don’t want to treat it like Covid. We don’t want to cause a public panic over this.”
Repatriation flights started on Sunday after the Hondius docked in Tenerife, with passengers being transported to countries including Spain, France, Canada and the Netherlands, according to World Health Organization officials. The WHO has advised that travelers be actively monitored for up to 42 days because of the virus’s extended incubation period.
The United Kingdom said military personnel parachuted onto Tristan da Cunha to deliver medical supplies, highlighting the logistical difficulties of reaching the isolated island. A British resident connected to the voyage is currently being monitored as a suspected case.
Former White House Covid-19 response coordinator reacts
Some specialists say the outbreak could reshape understanding of how the virus is transmitted. Former White House Covid-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said in a post on X that early evidence suggests infection may occur without prolonged close contact and urged authorities to impose strict quarantine measures for passengers.
Earlier studies of Andes hantavirus outbreaks have shown that the virus can spread in shared spaces even without direct physical contact, including during short interactions in crowded indoor settings, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus Infection is a rare group of illnesses caused by viruses carried by rodents. The Andes Hantavirus Infection, the strain identified by the WHO as the source of the outbreak aboard the Atlantic cruise ship, is the only known hantavirus variant capable of spreading between people who have been in close contact.
According to WHO officials, the uncommon Andes strain has so far caused three deaths among passengers and infected five others during the cruise outbreak.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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