Updated May 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM EDT
Eighteen American passengers have returned to U.S. soil after being stranded for weeks on the MV Hondius, the cruise vessel embroiled in a hantavirus outbreak. The passengers disembarked in the Canary Islands and were swiftly flown to Nebraska, courtesy of a medical repatriation flight arranged by the U.S. government.
The cruise, which began its journey from southern Argentina on April 1, made several stops in the South Atlantic. Tragically, three passengers have succumbed to the virus amidst this crisis.
Currently, 16 of these passengers are being housed in Nebraska. Among them, one has tested “mildly” positive for hantavirus and is receiving care in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Meanwhile, two others traveled to Atlanta, where they are also being held in biocontainment at Emory University after one passenger began showing symptoms.
In France, another case emerged as a French woman tested positive, according to French Health Minister Stephanie Rist. This development brings the total number of hantavirus cases to nine, with three fatalities, as confirmed by the World Health Organization.
What Lies Ahead for the American Passengers
Upon landing at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, the passengers were directed to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for evaluations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is overseeing these assessments.
“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,” stated Dr. Ali Khan, the dean of the College of Public Health at UNMC.
These U.S. nationals, including one dual U.S.-British citizen, were among approximately 150 passengers from 23 countries on the cruise. The outbreak has so far resulted in nine confirmed cases, three of which were fatal, according to the World Health Organization.
Having isolated in their cabins during the outbreak, the American passengers will continue monitoring for several weeks. Most are at the nation’s only federally funded quarantine unit, which previously handled passengers from the Diamond Princess Cruise during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike the COVID-19 virus, hantaviruses, specifically the Andes variant responsible for this outbreak, have been studied for decades. “We do know that you can get small clusters of disease, but in 30 years we’ve never seen any large outbreaks,” commented Dr. Khan, “so this is unlikely to become a pandemic.”
The hantavirus is not highly contagious among humans but can be severe. Prolonged, close contact with symptomatic individuals is required for transmission, according to U.S. health officials.
The majority of U.S. passengers are reportedly in good health. However, hantavirus symptoms can manifest up to 42 days post-exposure, as stated by the CDC. “It’s appropriate to be cautious,” Dr. Khan noted, “To monitor these people for 42 days [to make sure] 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, each passenger undergoes a clinical assessment, with some potentially continuing monitoring at home under the guidance of local health departments.
Seven other U.S. passengers, who departed the cruise earlier, are being observed across various states, including Texas, California, Georgia, and Virginia, according to NPR.
Concerns have been raised by public health experts over what they perceive as a subdued response by the U.S. government to this outbreak. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, expressed that the response has been delayed and fragmented, although it is now more coordinated. “The CDC was missing in action for quite a long time,” he stated. “Better late than never — but it is very late.”
In response, Emily Hilliard, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, declared, “These claims are completely inaccurate. The U.S. government is conducting a coordinated, interagency response led by the Department of State. HHS, through ASPR [Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response] and CDC, is supporting efforts to protect the health and safety of U.S. citizens, including repatriation, medical evaluation, and public health guidance.”
Hilliard highlighted the CDC’s recent actions, such as activating its Emergency Operations Center, deploying teams to the Canary Islands and Nebraska, and informing state health departments about the returning travelers.
While the U.S. is now actively working to protect the returning passengers and their communities, the incident has exposed weaknesses in the nation’s pandemic readiness. Gostin warns that if faced with a more contagious virus, the situation might have been chaotic. He advocates for increased investment in infectious disease prevention and control efforts.
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