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Hantavirus update: Is the cruise ship virus the next COVID? WHO says more cases 'expected'
US health officials report 18 Americans are under medical monitoring for a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship. As of May 12, 2026, patients are in biocontainment or quarantine, with one symptomatic case at Emory testing negative for the Andes variant; the WHO says more cases are expected. The article also clarifies that hantavirus is not spread through airborne transmission like COVID-19.
Why It Matters
The update highlights concerns about potential human-to-human transmission and the public health response to a cruise ship–linked hantavirus outbreak, emphasizing transmission routes and clinical management.
Timeline
2 Events
WHO update and transmission context for hantavirus
May 13, 2026
The World Health Organization says more hantavirus cases are expected. The article notes that hantavirus does not spread through the air in the way COVID-19 does, and most infections occur when people breathe in virus particles from the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents; rare transmission can occur via rodent bites or scratches. The Andes virus strain, found in South America, can spread between humans in close-contact situations, but such transmission remains limited. There is no specific treatment for hantavirus; patients receive supportive care, including rest and hydration, with severe respiratory or kidney complications potentially requiring ventilation or dialysis.
Status update: 18 Americans under monitoring as of May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026
Public health officials reported that 18 Americans are under medical monitoring in the United States in connection with the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak. As of May 12, 2026, one passenger is in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska; 15 are quarantining at the university’s National Quarantine Center; two additional passengers have been sent to Emory University’s biocontainment unit in Atlanta, including one who is symptomatic and has tested negative for the Andes variant of hantavirus (the only known strain capable of human-to-human transmission), according to USA Today.