Remember when we all died from the pandemic that started on a cruise ship, caused by a passenger acquiring and spreading Orthohantavirus andesense? Me neither. That’s because we didn’t. And it didn’t. It was unlikely we ever would. Or that it ever would. And that’s because viruses often differ from one another. Sometimes they differ a lot. And that matters.
Yes, somehow I didn’t post a single blog about this at the time.
Yes, this post is just so I can post my image here.
I won’t rehash the 5,000 “What you need to know” articles here.
This is just a reminder that this virus usually requires exposure to infectious rodent excreta and doesn’t usually spread well between long chains of humans. While the circumstances on board a boat aren’t your everyday level of contact with infectious people, they can happen, and what we saw, 13 cases, was the result. However, let’s also remember that once those infected or exposed people were physically separated (isolated or quarantined), new cases dried up within weeks, and many contacts did not become sick.
This hantavirus outbreak resolved as expected once worldwide collaborative interventions began.
The hunt for the source continues, but it doesn’t impact the outbreak. And frankly, given that the virus is already known to exist in the region where it was thought to be acquired, finding the source likely won’t change future infections either.
Practical help will include providing the information needed to make informed decisions and encouraging travellers to take responsibility for reading and understanding that information to grasp the risks they face when visiting a region with enzootic disease. Hopefully, they act on that encouragement. And they will also learn how to reduce those risks from this virus when travelling to these areas. We have the knowledge and the tools to do that.
References
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON600
- https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/various/man-with-hantavirus-is-being-treated-at-zurich-university-hospital-switzerland/91371503
- https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/beh%c3%b6rden-beobachten-person-aus-genf-nach-hantavirus-kontaktfall/91386558?nab=1
- https://virological.org/t/preliminary-analysis-of-orthohantavirus-andesense-virus-sequences-from-a-cruise-ship-related-cluster-may-2026/1029
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/evacuated-us-and-french-mv-hondius-cruise-ship-passengers-test-positive-for-hantavirus
- https://news.klm.com/passenger-with-hantavirus-was-briefly-on-board-a-klm-aircraft-in-johannesburg/#
- https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-cruise-ship-st-helena-9c70878b2ff59d187f1e34c12627cea7
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/12/spain-reports-new-hantavirus-case-in-passenger-evacuated-from-cruise-ship#
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/11/two-more-cruise-ship-passengers-test-positive-for-hantavirus
- https://www.trtworld.com/article/e90a6bc48a3f
- https://people.com/hantavirus-cruise-passenger-in-very-critical-condition-was-initially-told-her-symptoms-were-just-anxiety-11972296
- https://www.msn.com/en-ph/health/other/spanish-hantavirus-case-showing-symptoms/ar-AA22ZQS2
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hantavirus-cases-deadly-cruise-ship-outbreak/
- https://apnews.com/article/hantavirus-hondius-cruise-ship-doctor-nebraska-isolation-72daa0e1ff672c8c22b6851f4c5e3cad
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/05/13/oregon-doctor-who-tested-positive-for-hantavirus-treated-passengers-aboard-cruise-latest-updates/?streamIndex=0
- https://www.ndtv.com/health/dutch-hospital-quarantines-12-staff-over-hantavirus-exposure-precautions-11481904
- See PDF of St Helena flight schedule
- https://www.ascension.gov.ac/44526-2
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON601
- https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-rapid-risk-assessment—hantavirus-outbreak-caused-by-andes-virus–global-v.2
- https://www.catalannews.com/society-science/item/spanish-national-positive-for-hantavirus-starts-to-show-symptoms
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/22/who-says-12th-person-infected-with-hantavirus-detected-in-the-netherlands
- https://www.aol.com/articles/spain-orders-42-day-quarantine-115007984.html
- https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/25/europe/spain-hantavirus-cruise-ship-intl-latam
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-28/hantavirus-cruise-ship-passengers-have-wa-quarantine-extended/106733322
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-the-hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak
- https://x.com/DrTedros/status/2064717835801125217
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-23/hantavirus-outbreak-six-passengers-complete-perth-quarantine/106829038
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/23/hantavirus-quarantine-ends-nebraska
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hantavirus-canadians-isolation-complete-9.7253334
- https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON611
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