US Repatriates Citizens from Hantavirus-Affected Cruise Ship

The United States is repatriating 17 citizens from the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship experiencing a hantavirus outbreak that has resulted in three deaths and several infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced plans to send a charter flight to retrieve the American passengers, who will be quarantined upon arrival.

The MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026, for a luxury cruise operated by Oceanwide Expeditions. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Spain's Canary Islands on May 10. The CDC has classified the outbreak as a "Level 3" emergency response, its lowest activation level.

The CDC stated, "The US government's top priority is the safe repatriation of American passengers." Upon arrival, the passengers will be transported to a quarantine center at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

State health departments are monitoring at least six passengers for possible infections, including individuals in Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and California. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed six cases linked to the outbreak, with three fatalities. The WHO noted that the Andes strain of hantavirus, involved in this outbreak, is capable of limited human-to-human transmission but is unlikely to cause a pandemic due to its transmission requirements.

President Donald Trump commented on the situation, stating that the outbreak was "very much, we hope, under control," and that his administration would provide a "full report" on it.

Hantavirus is typically spread by rodents, with humans becoming infected through inhalation of virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The WHO warns that more cases could emerge due to the disease's incubation period of up to six weeks.

The outbreak follows staffing reductions at US health agencies under the Trump administration's cost-cutting measures, including layoffs at the CDC and the National Institutes of Health.