24/7 LiveLos AngelesOrange CountyInland EmpireVentura CountyCalifornia
Live

Hantavirus live updates: 16 at facility in Nebraska, 2 at hospital in Atlanta

A flight carrying U.S. citizens who were on the ship arrived Monday in Nebraska.

ABCNews logo
Last updated: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 3:57PM GMT
Passengers in Nebraska undergoing in-depth interviews, hantavirus symptom monitoring

Passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship started disembarking Sunday in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the ship has risen to 10, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, 15 are in the quarantine unit and one person is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta "for further assessment and care," officials said.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
May 11, 2026, 11:44 AM

What is hantavirus and is there a vaccine?

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype, the Andes virus, from South America, according to the WHO.

Is there a vaccine?

There are currently no approved vaccines anywhere in the world that specifically protect against the Andes virus, but scientists are working on it.

Read more about hantavirus here.

ByOthon Leyva ABCNews logo
May 08, 2026, 6:12 PM GMT

WHO working to coordinate screening process for crew, passengers

Anais Legand, the technical officer with the World Health Organization, briefed the press Friday about the organization's efforts to screen the M/V Hondius' crew and passengers after the ship arrives in the Canary Islands.

Health teams will work with national authorities and each boat member will be assessed by trained medical staff, he said.

Epidemiologists will review individual exposure histories and interactions, according to Legand.

"So this is a way for us to get all the pieces together and have the maximum information to be able to assess any risk for this person and give them the right recommendation," he said.

ABCNews logo
May 08, 2026, 6:12 PM GMT

Which states are monitoring potential hantavirus

No U.S. residents have experienced any signs of illness as of Friday morning, according to health officials. However, six states are tracking nine residents for possible hantavirus infections.

States monitoring residents for hantavirus
States monitoring residents for hantavirus

Health officials in Texas, New Jersey and Georgia are monitoring two people while officials in California, Virginia and Arizona say they each are monitoring one person.

Watch Live
ON NOW