Hantavirus sounds scary in the headlines, but understanding how it actually spreads can help you see why most people have little to worry about, and there are some steps you can take to protect yourself if you happen to be in a high-risk exposure group.
From what we know so far, the risk for the general population is LOW.
You may have seen news about a cruise ship in the Atlantic where several passengers became seriously ill, and three have died of confirmed hantavirus infection. If the term hantavirus sounds familiar to you, it may be because Gene Hackman’s wife died as a result of hantavirus last year (unrelated to the cruise). This sounds really scary and for many might evoke feelings of the early days of the COVID pandemic. Although this is an evolving situation and we don’t know all the answers yet, we’ll try to put this into context and help explain why public health experts are closely watching, doing their part to contain it, but are not panicking.
What is hantavirus?
Hantavirus isn’t just one virus, it’s a family of viruses that is carried by certain rodents around the world. Different strains cause different diseases. In the Americas, the main concern is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) (also called HCPS – hantavirus cardio-pulmonary syndrome), a severe respiratory illness.
In Europe and Asia, some strains cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which affects the kidneys.
Where is it found?
Hantaviruses are found on all continents except Antarctica. But different strains live in different places and are tied to the specific rodent species that carry them (WHO).
🐁 The Americas: HPS-causing strains are found across North and South America. In the US, most cases occur in states west of the Mississippi River, with the deer mouse as the primary carrier.
The Andes virus, the only strain known to possibly spread between people, is primarily found in Chile and Argentina. [more below]
🐭 Europe: The most common European hantavirus is carried by the bank vole and is widespread across most of the continent, though less common in the UK, Mediterranean coastal regions, and the far north. It causes HFRS, the kidney-affecting form of the disease.
🐁 Asia: Hantavirus is consistently present across much of Asia, particularly in China, South Korea, and Russia, where it also causes HFRS.
🐭 Africa and Australia: Australia remains one of the few regions without documented hantavirus infections. In Africa, some rodent-carried hantaviruses have been detected, but human disease is rarely reported (this may be partly because of limited diagnostic capacity rather than true absence of infection).
How does it spread?
People typically get hantavirus through contact with infected rodents, and especially their urine, droppings, or saliva.
The most common route of infection is inhaling particles from dried rodent droppings. This can happen when, for example, someone sweeps up a mouse nest without protection. In North America, exposure often occurs among those who work jobs that bring them into regular contact with rodents, such as construction, sanitation, agriculture, and pest control.
Only one type of hantavirus – the Andes virus – is known to possibly spread from person to person, and even then, it’s rare. It is primarily found in Chile and Argentina. That said, the evidence for person-to-person transmission is limited due to its rarity, and some researchers debate whether it occurs at all.
What are the symptoms?
Early symptoms of HPS (remember that’s the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome) usually appear one to eight weeks after exposure. It can feel a lot like the flu initially: fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue. Four to ten days later, more serious symptoms can develop, including coughing and shortness of breath, as the lungs begin to fill with fluid. (WHO)
HPS has a case fatality rate (CFR in science speak) of 20-40%. This means that of every 10 people who develop severe hantavirus illness, 2 to 4 may not survive. It’s important to know, though, that this varies depending on the strain and where in the world it occurs. And most importantly, remember that HPS is also a rare disease – only 890 cases were reported in the US from 1993 to 2023, that’s in 30 years of surveillance! Of those, however, 35% sadly died.
There is no specific treatment or cure for hantavirus disease, but early medical attention and supportive care can improve the chance of survival.
What does this mean for me?
For most people, the everyday risk of hantavirus is extremely low. And if you live in an area where hantavirus is around, the best prevention is limiting contact with wild rodents:
✅ Seal holes and gaps in your home or garage to keep rodents from entering.
✅ Store food in rodent-proof containers and keep garbage secured.
✅ When cleaning areas where rodent droppings may be present, wear an N95 respirator, use gloves, spray the area with a bleach solution, wait five minutes, then wipe up with paper towels and dispose of them safely.
❌ Don’t sweep or vacuum dry droppings, as this can send particles airborne.
What about the cruise ship? (up-to-date as of 7/5/26)
As of this writing, five cases of hantavirus have been laboratory-confirmed among the passengers and crew of the MV Hondius. Three people have sadly died, and the identified hantavirus has been confirmed to be the Andes strain.
Two other cases have been confirmed, and they are currently isolated and being cared for. There are three other suspected cases under investigation, but it’s unclear if there is human-to-human spread at play or if folks got infected through rodent droppings. However, unlike COVID-19, people without symptoms do not spread the virus, so there is no need to fear catching hantavirus from someone who is not sick.
For now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that there is no need for alarm and that the risk to the wider public remains low. Investigators are still working to determine how the exposures occurred.
Importantly, many public health organizations and scientists have a big toolbox and are working together on this to make sure folks who were on the ship are followed up on, and potential contacts are traced and isolated where they need to be. Although this is not necessarily widely reported, it is Public Health at its best – working behind the scenes to monitor the situation, put in measures to contain any possible risks, and thus keep everyone as safe as possible.
But I have booked a cruise – should I cancel it?
No, there is no need to cancel your cruise – it’s important to remember that this was a very specific adventure cruise, and it is likely that a passenger brought the disease on board, rather than getting it while on the ship. And while it’s true that a ship is a confined space, there are very clear guidelines and strict protocols that are used on all cruises (and behind the scenes, so you might not even realize). We have this post about the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program if you want to find out more about how outbreaks of all sorts are managed on ships. And remember, other diseases spread on cruise ships too, so it’s always a good idea to follow good hygiene practices like regular handwashing and wearing a mask in crowded spaces. If you fall into a high-risk or vulnerable category due to being immunocompromised or if you are chronically ill, you may want to think about whether a cruise is worth the risk of general exposure to disease. However, you do not need to factor the current hantavirus outbreak into your decision to cruise at this time.
Bottom line: Although hantavirus and the developments on the cruise ship sound scary, this is a rare disease in humans, and from what we know so far, the risk to the general public remains low. We don’t want this to take up any headspace, and while this continues to evolve, Those Nerdy Girls and many other trusted messengers are keeping a close eye on the developments and will update you with fact-checked and well-sourced information – we’ve got you!
Stay well, stay safe.
Love,
Those Nerdy Girls
Resources to help keep track and for further reading:
CDC – About hantavirus
CDC – Clinician Brief: Hantavirus
CDC – Reported Cases of Hantavirus
WHO – Disease Outbreak News
WHO – Press conference 7/5/26
ECDC – Disease Information about Hantavirus
BBC – news feed on the outbreak
Inside Medicine Substack (Thank you, Jeremy Faust, MD)
From the Science Classroom Substack (Thank you, Elisabeth Marnik, PhD)
Tracker of current outbreak created by two Epidemiologists (Thank you, Krisandra Allen and Cristin Young)
