The fallout of the hantavirus outbreak unfolding onboard Oceanwide Expeditions’ MV Hondius, which has already resulted in three deaths, has potentially now made its way to the US.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is actively monitoring two Georgia residents who recently disembarked from the small expedition vessel.

As of the time of this publication, the recent guests are not showing any symptoms of the often deadly infection. They are following the current guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“The individuals are currently in good health and show no signs of infection,” a Georgia DPH spokesperson told WTOC, a local news outlet.

The news comes shortly after another recent passenger of the 170-guest ship tested positive for the virus in Sweden.

“Swiss authorities have confirmed a case of #hantavirus identified in a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship,” the World Health Organization (WHO) posted on X.

“He had responded to an email from the ship’s operator informing the passengers of the health event, and presented himself to a hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, and is receiving care,” WHO continued.

As of May 6, there are a total of eight cases related to the cruise ship outbreak, three of which have been confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing.

American Public Should Not Panic

The cruise ship outbreak is extremely rare, and according to the CDC’s archival data, it is the first hantavirus outbreak to occur on a ship in over three decades.

Making the situation even more unusual is that WHO confirmed the virus is the Andes-type, which is the only strain to ever be documented as spreading from human-to-human. Usually, the virus is contracted through exposure to rodents.

Contact tracing and an investigation into the origin of the outbreak is still underway, but health officials do not want the general public to worry at this time. Human-to-human transmission is still very rare and only happens in situations with extremely close contact.

“We understand that people are concerned and looking for information and that is why we provided clear, written health guidance to the American passengers through the State Department. The safety and health of the affected American travelers is our number one goal,” the CDC posted on X.

“Hantavirus is not spread by people without symptoms, transmission requires close contact, and the risk to the American public is very low,” the post continued.

The CDC, along with WHO and other health organizations around the world, will continue to monitor the status of the outbreak and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Additionally, the CDC is preparing to safely bring home the approximately 17 Americans who are still onboard MV Hondius.

Cruise Ship Heads Toward Canary Islands

On May 5, Cruise Hive reported that Spain would be accepting the 5,590-gross ton vessel after it was not permitted to disembark in Africa’s Cape Verde.

After completing medical evacuations for three passengers who were either symptomatic or in close contact with an individual who died from the virus, the small ship is now bound for the Canary Islands.

“We can confirm that the three individuals previously indicated as awaiting medical transfer have been successfully disembarked from m/v Hondius and are now en route via medicalized aircraft to locations able to provide specialized care and appropriate medical screening,” Oceanwide Expeditions said in an update on May 6.

“At this stage, the planned onward destination for m/v Hondius is the Canary Islands. Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding the exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline,” the update added.

As of the time of writing, tracking data shows the vessel cruising at speeds of 12 knots off the coast of Boa Vista, an island in Cape Verde.

The remaining passengers and crew members onboard have been instructed to monitor themselves closely for possible symptoms, and have been encouraged to isolate in their cabins and to practice social distancing.

Two infectious disease physicians, who were flown to the ship from the Netherlands in coordination with the Dutch Institute for Public Health and Environment, joined the ship on May 6 and will remain onboard throughout the journey to the Canary Islands.

An end may be in sight for the approximately 150 people stranded onboard Oceanwide Expeditions’ MV Hondius, who are living through an unprecedented hantavirus outbreak that has already led to three deaths.

The small vessel, which left Argentina on April 1, 2026, to begin a voyage to Antarctica, is currently stuck off the coast of Cape Verde, Africa, with guests prohibited from disembarking due to a rare hantavirus outbreak.

According to Spain’s Ministry of Health, Spain has now stepped up to receive the 5,590-gross ton vessel through a coordinated effort with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union.

WHO determined that Cape Verde is not equipped to safely disembark passengers and that Spain’s Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary resources and capabilities to undertake this unusual operation.

The health authority asserted that Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist the ship, which has at least 13 Spanish nationals onboard. There are also 17 Americans, 19 British nationals, and others from a variety of countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, and Argentina.

No hantavirus outbreaks aboard cruise ships have been reported to the CDC in at least the past three decades according to archived data. This means that the situation is really unprecedented and requires careful thought and planning.

Spain’s government is currently working with WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to determine a health and safety protocol to keep everyone as safe as possible as guests and crew members are disembarked, assessed, and likely quarantined.

The health organizations want to ensure that healthcare personnel stay safe and that no passengers have any contact with the local population. Authorities will share prompt updates as a protocol is determined and implemented.

What Comes Next?

On May 5, 2026, the ECDC conducted a thorough review of the vessel to determine which individuals required urgent evacuation.

As of the time of publication, Cruise Hive is aware of three deaths and four additional passengers who are suffering from severe respiratory symptoms. Lab testing has definitively confirmed two cases of hantavirus so far.

In an update from Oceanwide Expeditions issued on May 5, the cruise line confirmed that two individuals requiring urgent care would be evacuated using a specialized aircraft, as well as a companion to a guest who died on May 2.

“The medical evacuation of two individuals currently requiring urgent medical care, and the individual associated with the guest who passed away on 2 May, will occur using two specialized aircraft that are en route to Cape Verde,” the update stated.

The cruise line said that the evacuees would be bound for the Netherlands, though Spain’s Ministry of Health stated that the Canary Islands would accept the ship’s doctor on behalf of the Netherlands following a formal request to do so.

The doctor is allegedly in serious condition and is being flown to the Canary Islands on a hospital aircraft on or around May 5.

Once medical evacuations are complete, the ship will sail toward Spain’s Canary Islands, although it’s not clear which specific cruise port they will dock at yet. It will most likely be Gran Canaria or Tenerife.

The journey is expected to take around three days once it begins, though the exact timeline is still unclear.

“Once these three individuals have been safely transferred from the vessel and are in transit to the Netherlands, the m/v Hondius will begin repositioning. Our plan is to proceed to the Canary Islands, either Gran Canaria or Tenerife, which will take 3 days of sailing,” the cruise line continued.

Steps have been taken to care for the remaining guests onboard and to prevent additional spread, including enhanced sanitation and cleaning, screening for symptoms, and enforcing quarantines and social distancing.

Outbreak is Under Investigation

Hantavirus is extremely rare and people are usually only infected after coming into contact with rodents, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, or saliva.

Oceanwide Expeditions has released a tentative timeline of how the medical emergency has evolved thus far, but this is a developing situation and the cause of the outbreak is still under investigation.

While the leading theory is that at least one passenger contracted hantavirus in Argentina before boarding MV Hondius, there is some suspicion of human-to-human transmission happening onboard.

That said, transmission between humans is incredibly rare. If this is happening onboard, it would be on a very limited basis between people with very close contact, such as with the married couple who died during the outbreak.

“We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who’ve shared cabins,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, told CBS News.

An investigation, quarantine protocols, and contact tracing efforts are in progress to definitively determine the source of the outbreak and mitigate further spread. Cruise Hive will continue to issue updates as soon as they are available.