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.
Showing case totals since · Last updated:
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.
| State | Cases | New (14d) | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 4 | +1 | 1 |
| Colorado | 1 | — | 0 |
| Nevada | 1 | — | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | — | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | — | 0 |
| Total | 8 | +1 | 2 |
Only states with at least one 2026 case are shown.
CDC formally concluded its hantavirus response on June 24, 2026, after the 42-day quarantine for American cruise-ship passengers ended. No U.S. cases of Andes virus were confirmed; 12 confirmed and 1 probable case and 3 deaths were recorded aboard the MV Hondius internationally.
CDC Acting Director Brendan Jackson confirmed the successful conclusion of the public health response to the MV Hondius outbreak. All 42-day monitoring periods for U.S. citizens with potential Andes virus exposure were completed, with no hantavirus disease detected among monitored individuals.
On June 21, all U.S. citizens potentially exposed to hantavirus aboard the M/V Hondius finished their 42-day monitoring period with no hantavirus disease occurring in the United States as a result of the outbreak.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control confirmed 13 total cases (12 confirmed, 1 probable) tied to the MV Hondius Andes hantavirus outbreak as of June 17. Identified contacts were completing quarantine periods with further spread considered very unlikely.
A joint CIDRAP and NEJM Evidence Public Health Alerts report detailed 10 of the 11 Andes hantavirus cases aboard the MV Hondius, documenting the first passenger-to-passenger transmission event. Three of the 10 patients died and two remained hospitalized.
CDC's updated HAN Health Update confirmed that as of May 18, no confirmed cases of Andes virus associated with the MV Hondius outbreak had been reported in the United States. The update also expanded clinician guidance on testing for Andes virus and other hantaviruses.
CDC announced May 14 that 41 people across the U.S. were being monitored for hantavirus symptoms. They included quarantined passengers at Nebraska Medicine and Emory University Hospital, passengers who returned home early, and contacts of symptomatic passengers on flights.
CDC Incident Manager Dr. David Fitter confirmed there were no hantavirus cases in the United States at the May 13 briefing. No federal or state quarantine orders had been issued, and all contacts were voluntarily monitoring themselves under a 42-day protocol.
CDC issued a HAN Health Advisory alerting clinicians and health departments about the MV Hondius Andes virus cluster. As of May 8, WHO had reported 8 cases including 3 deaths. CDC deployed a team to the Canary Islands and began coordinating repatriation of American passengers.
WHO's Disease Outbreak News reported 8 cases (6 laboratory-confirmed as Andes virus) and 3 deaths aboard the MV Hondius as of May 8. Evidence pointed to human-to-human transmission onboard, with international contact tracing underway across 23 countries.
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.
| 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 |