Updated May 11, 2026 at 8:23 AM EDT
In a significant development, seventeen American cruise passengers returned home after enduring an unsettling experience aboard the MV Hondius due to a hantavirus outbreak. The repatriation flight, organized by the U.S. government, brought the passengers from the Canary Islands to Nebraska after they disembarked from the Dutch-flagged vessel.
The cruise, which had set sail from southern Argentina on April 1, navigated through the South Atlantic, making stops at several remote islands. Tragically, three passengers succumbed to the virus during the outbreak.
While en route to the U.S., one passenger tested “mildly” positive, and another displayed symptoms of the virus, as noted in an X post by @HHSGov. Both were transported in biocontainment units on the flight.
Meanwhile, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist confirmed a French passenger also tested positive after returning to Paris with four other French nationals.
What’s Ahead for the 17 American Passengers
Upon arrival at Offutt Air Force Base, most passengers will proceed to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) for evaluation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The symptomatic passenger will receive specialized care at an undisclosed facility.
“For the passengers getting off the ship, I’d say, ‘Welcome to Nebraska.’ You are coming to the premier facility in the United States, if not the world, to take care of you,” expressed Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the College of Public Health at UNMC.
The Americans joining the nearly 150 passengers from 23 countries had been isolated in their cabins and will now undergo monitoring in the U.S. for several weeks. This outbreak, with eight reported cases and three fatalities, has prompted significant health measures.
Returning passengers are arriving at the nation’s only federally funded quarantine unit, a facility that previously managed the Diamond Princess Cruise outbreak in early 2020, one of the initial COVID-19 superspreading events.
Unlike the novel COVID-19 virus, hantaviruses, particularly the Andes variant responsible for this incident, have been studied for decades. Dr. Khan assured, “We do know that you can get small clusters of disease, but in 30 years we’ve never seen any large outbreaks, so this is unlikely to become a pandemic.”
The hantavirus strain is deadly but requires prolonged close contact for transmission, making it relatively less contagious. U.S. passengers are currently well, but symptoms can emerge up to 42 days post-exposure, as per CDC guidelines.
“It’s appropriate to be cautious,” Khan advised, “To monitor these people for 42 days [to ensure] they don’t get sick. And if they do get sick during those 42 days, to make sure to put them into isolation.”
Upon arrival, all U.S. passengers will undergo clinical assessments, but official quarantine is not mandated. Some may continue their monitoring at home, with daily health department check-ins. Seven passengers who disembarked earlier are under observation in states like Texas, California, Georgia, and Virginia.
Despite the U.S. government’s efforts, public health experts have expressed concerns about the seemingly slow response to the outbreak. Lawrence Gostin, a global health law professor at Georgetown University, criticized the U.S. response as “fragmented, disjointed, and delayed for weeks.” He added, “Better late than never — but it is very late.”
In defense, Emily Hilliard, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, stated, “These claims are completely inaccurate. The U.S. government is conducting a coordinated, interagency response led by the Department of State.” She detailed CDC’s recent actions, including deploying teams to affected areas and setting up its Emergency Operations Center.
Gostin acknowledged the government’s current efforts but emphasized the need for improved pandemic preparedness. “If this was a highly transmissible virus, you could imagine what chaos we would be facing now,” he remarked.
He urged increased investment in infectious disease prevention and control to bolster the country’s defenses against future outbreaks.
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