US monitoring 7 passengers from MV Hondius cruise ship across 5 states
CDC coordinating with Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia to monitor returning American passengers for hantavirus symptoms.
NBC News
NOTE: Hantavirus is rare but serious. This page tracks confirmed cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in the United States. Numbers are gathered from CDC weekly reports, ProMED-mail and state health department bulletins. About 1 in 3 people who get HPS die from it, so even small case counts matter.
HANTAVIRUS TRACKER — UNITED STATES 2026
Showing case totals since · Last updated:
Hantavirus Cases:
2
Deaths:
1
Recovered:
1
Cases this year
7
Deaths this year
2
States with cases
5
Headline figures above count only US cases reported on or after May 1, 2026. Year-to-date tiles cover all of 2026; the chart below shows the full 1993–2026 history for context.
Confirmed Cases per Year
Deaths per Year
CASES BY STATE (2026 year to date)
| State | Cases | New (14d) | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 3 | — | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 | — | 0 |
| Nevada | 1 | — | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | — | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | — | 0 |
| Total | 7 | — | 2 |
Only states with at least one 2026 case are shown.
LATEST NEWS
WHO confirms Andes virus strain in MV Hondius cruise ship cluster
8 cases and 3 deaths linked to Dutch expedition ship. Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to spread person-to-person.
WHO
ECDC publishes assessment of hantavirus cluster on cruise ship
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issues recommendations for clinicians and public health authorities across EU/EEA.
ECDC
Hantavirus outbreak aboard cruise ship kills 3, sickens at least 8
CIDRAP confirms Andes strain via PCR. Contact tracing underway across multiple countries.
CIDRAP
San Diego County detects hantavirus-positive mouse in routine surveillance
No human cases reported. County vector control advises residents to seal entry points and avoid contact with wild rodents.
San Diego County
CDC annual summary: 38 HPS cases in 2025, fatality rate 34%
Twelve states reported cases in 2025. Arizona (6), New Mexico (7), and California (6) led the count.
CDC MMWR
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are spread mostly by deer mice. People usually catch it by breathing in tiny bits of dried mouse droppings, urine or saliva — often while cleaning out cabins, sheds, garages or barns that have been closed up.
It is not spread from person to person in the United States.
The illness it causes is called HPS. Early symptoms feel like a bad flu — fever, muscle aches, tiredness — and then, after 4 to 10 days, breathing gets very hard. If you have these symptoms and you have been around mice or droppings recently, see a doctor right away and tell them.
Hantavirus FAQ
| How long after exposure do symptoms appear? | 1 to 8 weeks, usually 2 to 4 weeks |
| How deadly is hantavirus (HPS fatality rate)? | About 36%, roughly 1 in 3 people die |
| Can hantavirus spread person to person? | No — except the Andes virus strain in South America |
| Is there a hantavirus vaccine? | No approved vaccine in the US or Europe |
| Is there an antiviral drug for hantavirus? | No — treatment is supportive (oxygen, IV fluids, ventilation) |
| What animal carries hantavirus in the US? | Deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the main carrier |
| Is hantavirus airborne? | Yes — you catch it by breathing in dust from dried rodent droppings, urine or saliva |
| Can you survive hantavirus? | Yes — about 64% of HPS patients survive with early hospital care |
| How many hantavirus cases are there in the US? | About 20–40 confirmed cases per year since 1993 |
| What are the first symptoms of hantavirus? | Fever, fatigue, muscle aches and headache, similar to flu |
| Where is hantavirus most common in the US? | Western states — New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, California, Washington |
| How is hantavirus diagnosed? | Blood tests for IgM antibodies or PCR testing |
| Can you get hantavirus from a mouse bite? | Very rarely — most infections come from inhaling contaminated dust |
| How do you clean up mouse droppings safely? | Wet with bleach solution first, never sweep or vacuum dry droppings |
| Is hantavirus the same as the plague? | No — hantavirus causes HPS (lung disease), plague is a bacterial infection |
| What is Sin Nombre virus? | The most common hantavirus strain in the US, first identified in 1993 in the Four Corners region |