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CDC Says Risk to Public Remains Low as Hantavirus Cases from MV Hondius Cruise Reach 11
French authorities reported a female passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship remains in critical condition on an artificial lung as the confirmed hantavirus cases reached 11 with three deaths. CDC officials activated an emergency response, emphasizing that the risk to the general public remains low. Monitoring of passengers and contacts continues under a 42-day protocol that began May 11, 2026.
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The number of confirmed hantavirus cases from the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak stands at eleven, with three people having died. In France, a woman who tested positive for hantavirus after being a passenger on the MV Hondius remains in hospital in critical condition, breathing with the help of an artificial lung.
Twenty-two close contacts of the French hantavirus patient are being monitored and have so far tested negative.
Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low because the virus does not easily spread between people. The officials added that the hantavirus has not mutated for the time being. Two CDC doctors said on May 13, 2026 that the risk to Americans from the hantavirus outbreak remains low.
David Fitter, the CDC’s incident manager for the hantavirus response, stated on May 13, 2026: "At this moment, I want to emphasize that the risk to the general public is low. " Fitter stated that CDC has been working in close coordination with state and public health authorities, federal partners, and international health partners including countries that have been affected.
CDC activated its emergency response in Atlanta immediately and has more than 100 staff actively working on the hantavirus response.
"Operationally, we’ve been engaged at every step," Fitter stated. The hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius originated from a voyage that included travel from Argentina toward Antarctica. The MV Hondius was off Praia, Cape Verde, earlier this month.
U.S. citizen about potential exposure. Two CDC team members flew back with passengers, some to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
In Nebraska, a CDC team has been conducting health assessments of each passenger, asking them about their exposure to the confirmed cases while also monitoring temperature, screening for symptoms, and evaluating general wellness. The monitoring period for passengers is 42 days. The 42-day monitoring started on Monday, May 11, 2026.
