Hantavirus 

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Latest news on hantavirus, covering the Andes virus cruise ship outbreak, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, HPS symptoms, transmission, treatment and WHO updates.

Hantavirus is a family of zoonotic viruses carried by rodents, capable of causing severe and potentially fatal illness in humans. In the Americas, infection typically leads to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) — a dangerous condition affecting the lungs and heart. In Europe and Asia, the predominant form is haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which primarily targets the kidneys. Case fatality rates for severe HPS can reach 30–50%, even with intensive care.

Global attention in 2026 has focused on an outbreak of the Andes strain traced to the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, which departed Ushuaia in southern Argentina in April. At least eight cases — including deaths among Dutch and German passengers — have been linked to the voyage. The ship subsequently headed for Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands after being refused entry to multiple ports. A case was confirmed in a passenger being treated in Zurich, and on 7 May a KLM flight attendant was hospitalised at Amsterdam UMC with mild symptoms after coming into contact with one of the Dutch women who died — a passenger who had briefly boarded a KLM flight in Johannesburg before being removed as too ill to fly. Dutch health authorities are contacting passengers who were on that flight as a precaution.

The MV Hondius outbreak has raised pressing questions about international maritime health protocols and the obligations of states during disease emergencies at sea. The Canary Islands' regional president initially refused the ship permission to dock, citing public safety concerns, while the WHO stated publicly that Spain had a legal and moral obligation to assist those on board. Contact tracing has extended across multiple countries and into the aviation sector, illustrating how a rare disease event can rapidly acquire an international dimension.

Hantaviruses were first identified during the Korean War in the 1950s, but wider awareness came after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region of the United States, which put hantavirus pulmonary syndrome firmly on the public health map. The Andes virus — the only known hantavirus strain with documented human-to-human transmission — came under heightened scrutiny after a significant cluster in the Patagonian village of Epuyén, Argentina in 2018. Infection is most commonly acquired by inhaling aerosols contaminated with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, particularly the long-tailed pygmy rice rat in South America.

There is currently no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus infection. Care is supportive and focuses on managing respiratory and cardiac complications, with ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) used in the most critical cases. Symptoms — including fever, fatigue, muscle aches, gastrointestinal upset, and rapidly progressing breathing difficulties — can appear between one and eight weeks after exposure, making early diagnosis challenging.

The NewsNow hantavirus feed brings together the latest reporting from health authorities, researchers, and international news outlets, keeping you informed on outbreaks, contact tracing developments, and public health guidance as they emerge.