Hantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak

Hantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now By Tina Hesman Saey May 13, 2026 at 1:24 pm Share this: Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey . (See our AI policy here .) As public health officials around the world monitor dozens of former passengers and crewmembers of the MV Hondius for signs of hantavirus infection, scientists are hoping to learn more about the mysterious and sometimes deadly virus that caused the outbreak. That virus has been confirmed as the Andes species of hantavirus, the only hantavirus documented to spread from person to person. So far, evidence suggests the shipboard outbreak happened when one or two people were infected ashore and then passed the hantavirus to others on board. As of May 13, the outbreak had sickened at least 11 people, killing three. Scientists are still trying to decipher what makes the Andes virus different from other hantaviruses. Mysteries include why and how it can spread between humans, and why it can be so deadly. The answers may depend as much on the people infected and the circumstances as on the virus, researchers say. Many different species and variants of hantavirus have been discovered. And thousands of people are infected annually worldwide. Generally, those cases come from people breathing in dried rodent excrement. A rodent commonly called the long-tailed colilargo or the long-tailed pygmy rice rat ( Oligoryzomys longicaudatus ) carries the Andes virus. A species of rodent native to Chile and Argentina, commonly called the long-tailed colilargo or long-tailed pygmy rice rat ( Oligoryzomys longicaudatus ), is the normal host