Hantavirus Cruise Outbreak: Evacuations Complete, Cases in US, France, and Oregon; Australia Quarantines Passengers

A hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has triggered a multi-national response involving evacuations, quarantines, and confirmed cases across several countries. The ship, carrying approximately 140 passengers and crew, arrived in the Canary Islands after the outbreak, prompting Spanish authorities to coordinate the disembarkation and repatriation of passengers to their home countries. Health officials are working to monitor and contain the spread of the virus, which is primarily transmitted by rodents but can, in rare instances, spread person-to-person. ## Latest Update An Oregon doctor who was a passenger on the cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus and is isolating in a biocontainment unit in Nebraska. Australia has also initiated a three-week quarantine for six passengers arriving from the ship. ## Timeline * **2026-05-08:** A third Briton is suspected of contracting hantavirus on Tristan da Cunha, linked to the cruise ship outbreak. * **2026-05-09:** The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, carrying about 140 people, heads for the Canary Islands. * **2026-05-10:** The cruise ship arrives in Tenerife, and Spain begins evacuating passengers. * **2026-05-11:** American passengers arrive back in the U.S., and a French woman tests positive for hantavirus. * **2026-05-11:** One of the 17 American evacuees tested positive while another is showing mild symptoms. * **2026-05-11:** Australia announces it will quarantine six passengers from the ship for at least three weeks. * **2026-05-13:** An Oregon doctor on the cruise ship tested positive for hantavirus and is isolating in a biocontainment unit. ## What to Watch * **Further spread:** Monitor for additional confirmed cases among evacuees and their contacts as testing continues. * **Severity of illness:** Track the health status of those infected, particularly the American and French cases, and the Oregon doctor, for any severe complications. * **Rodent control:** Assess the effectiveness of disinfection measures on the ship and in affected areas to prevent future outbreaks.