American passengers suffering from Hantavirus outbreak arrive in U.S. for biocontainment monitoring

OAN Staff Jenna Lee and Brooke Mallory
6:20 PM – Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Eighteen American passengers from the hantavirus-stricken luxury cruise ship MV Hondius were successfully repatriated to the United States on Monday, following an outbreak of the Andes virus strain.

Writer’s Note: The Andes virus is not synonymous with hantavirus but is rather a specific, highly active strain within the broader hantavirus family. While hantaviruses as a group are a genus of viruses primarily carried by rodents worldwide, the Andes orthohantavirus is a distinct species native to South America. The distinction that sets the Andes strain apart from its relatives is its unique ability to spread through person-to-person transmission.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that while most passengers remain asymptomatic, two individuals — one passenger and a close contact — were transported in specialized aircraft biocontainment units as a strictly precautionary measure.

These two individuals have since been placed in high-security biocontainment units at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha.

Dr. Aneesh Mehta, chief of infectious disease services at Emory, emphasized that the facility has spent years preparing for the challenges posed by the Andes virus.

The crisis began after the Hondius departed Argentina on April 1^st, traversing a region where the Andes orthohantavirus is endemic among local rodent populations. After the outbreak was identified, the vessel docked at Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, which served as the primary hub for the international repatriation effort.

While the two higher-risk individuals are being closely watched in isolation, the remaining 16 American passengers are being monitored at the National Quarantine Unit within the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Angela Hewlett, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, noted that these quarantine quarters are designed to be more like a hotel environment than a clinical patient space to ensure passenger comfort during the observation period.

As of Tuesday, HHS reported via X that all 16 passengers at the Omaha facility remain symptom-free.

Jake Rosmarin, one of the repatriated travelers from the MV Hondius, shared a positive update on social media regarding the group’s journey back to the United States.

He described the coordinated repatriation flight as a smooth experience and expressed his sincere gratitude to the public for the outpouring of support shown toward the passengers during the crisis.

“It’s been a very long few days, but hopefully I can start giving more updates again soon. Thank you again to everyone who has been supportive throughout all of this; it truly means a lot,” wrote Rosmarin.

 

Public health officials are advising the repatriated travelers to remain in quarantine for the full duration of the virus’s incubation period, which can extend up to several weeks. Although many of those currently under observation remain asymptomatic, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), cautioned that additional cases could emerge in the near future.

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