U.S. Repatriates Cruise Passengers After Hantavirus Outbreak
Americans hantavirus cruise ship repatriation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC initiated a medical repatriation flight on Sunday, May 10, 2026, for 17 American citizens who were stranded aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship. The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, has been at the center of a rare and deadly outbreak of the Andes variant of hantavirus.
One American passenger has already tested “mildly” positive for the virus, while a second is currently exhibiting mild symptoms. Both individuals were transported in specialized biocontainment units during the flight to prevent any potential spread of the pathogen. The repatriation follows a coordinated international effort as the ship docked in the Canary Islands, Spain, after weeks of isolation in the South Atlantic.
The repatriation flight is scheduled to land at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday morning. From there, most passengers will be transferred to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), a premier facility previously used for Ebola and COVID-19 patients.
The passenger who tested positive and the symptomatic individual will be moved to a Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for intensive clinical assessment. Health officials emphasized that while hantavirus is traditionally spread through rodents, the Andes strain involved in this outbreak is capable of rare human-to-human transmission, necessitating the strict quarantine measures that will last for several weeks.
The outbreak aboard the M/V Hondius has resulted in at least eight confirmed cases and three fatalities, including a Dutch couple and a German national. Global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), believe the initial infection occurred when a passenger was exposed to the virus in Argentina or Chile before boarding.
Since hantavirus has an incubation period of one to eight weeks, U.S. health departments in at least six states—including Georgia, Virginia, and Texas—are also monitoring passengers who disembarked earlier in the voyage. Despite the severity of the illness, the CDC maintains that the risk to the general American public remains extremely low due to the specific conditions required for the virus to spread.
M/V Hondius Outbreak Statistics (as of May 11, 2026)
| Category | Count |
| Total Confirmed/Probable Cases | 8 |
| Confirmed Fatalities | 3 |
| U.S. Citizens Repatriated | 17 |
| U.S. Citizens Testing Positive | 1 |
| Nations Involved in Response | 12+ |
Medical Note: The Andes virus variant is unique among hantaviruses for its potential for person-to-person transmission, typically requiring prolonged close contact in enclosed settings.
