Hantavirus

Hantaviruses are a family of zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans.

While rare, human infection primarily happens through contact with the urine, feces or saliva of infected rodents, including rats and mice. While most hantaviruses are transmitted from rodents to people, the Andes virus (one type of hantavirus) appears that it can also be transmitted from person to person through close contact with someone who is infected. Andes virus is primarily found in parts of South America, though there have been imported cases in the U.S. from other countries.

Hantaviruses that are present in the Americas, such as Sin Nombre and Andes viruses, can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hantaviruses found in Europe and Asia, such as Hantaan and Puumala viruses, can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. These are serious illnesses that may result in death.

More about hantavirus

Symptoms

Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS, may appear between one and eight weeks following exposure, beginning with flu-like symptoms and progressing rapidly to more severe disease. Initial symptoms may include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches, dizziness, chills and/or gastrointestinal symptoms. As the disease progresses, coughing, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure and irregular heart rate may occur. According to CDC, about 40% of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, or HFRS, usually develop within one to two weeks postexposure. These symptoms include headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea, blurred vision, low blood pressure, acute shock, internal bleeding and/or acute kidney failure. Death is less common from HFRS; the case fatality rate is generally under 15%.

Treatment and prevention

Currently, there is no specific treatment that cures hantavirus diseases, but early supportive medical care — close clinical monitoring and management of respiratory, cardiac and kidney complications — is key to improving survival rates. Supportive care also includes rest, hydration and treatment of symptoms.

Because treatment options are limited, reducing contacts between people and infected rodents is the primary way to prevent hantavirus infections. When cleaning areas where rodents may have been present, wear gloves and a mask, spray surfaces with disinfectant or a bleach solution before cleaning, and avoid sweeping or vacuuming dry droppings, which can release virus particles into the air.

In addition, early recognition of suspected cases, prompt isolation of sick people or potential quarantine of high-risk contacts, and adherence to infection prevention and control measures are recommended.

It is suspected Andes virus can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets or short-range aerosols. The people at greatest risk are thought to be those who spend long periods of time in close indoor contact with someone who is infected, such as household members or caregivers.

Individuals who may have come into contact with someone who is infected with a hantavirus should undertake active symptom monitoring for 42 days.

Cruise ship outbreak

On May 2, 2026, a group of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean was reported to the World Health Organization, and their illness has been linked to hantavirus. As of May 12, 11 cases had been reported, including three deaths.

The outbreak has been linked to the Andes virus, a hantavirus found in South America, primarily in Argentina and Chile. The cruise ship had sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica then across the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at or near remote islands on the way. While hantaviruses are typically spread by exposure to rodent urine, feces or saliva, limited person-to-person transmission of the Andes virus has been reported in rare cases.

The risk to the general public from this outbreak is low, according to health officials.

On May 10, the cruise ship arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, where countries arranged special flights to take the passengers home. Eighteen Americans aboard the ship have been flown back to the U.S. and are being evaluated and monitored at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha or at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. American passengers who left the ship and returned home to the U.S. before the outbreak was discovered are also being monitored by their state or local public health departments.

Given the incubation period for Andes virus, which can be up to eight weeks, more cases may be reported. Health officials across multiple countries are investigating and responding to the outbreak, including tracking and monitoring passengers who left the ship before the outbreak was detected and their close contacts.