On April 1, 2026, the MV Hondius departed into the salty seas of the South Atlantic with 147 passengers aboard.
Five days later, a 70-year-old man fell ill with hantavirus, becoming the first documented case on the ship. On April 11, he was pronounced dead.
As of May 13, 11 cases have been identified, including three deaths—resulting in the majority of American passengers being quarantined in Nebraska. Three New Yorkers, including one passenger from Westchester County, “arrived at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska,” according to Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler.
These numbers have sparked skepticism and fear across the world, with phrases such as “COVID Part Two” spreading rapidly across the internet.
From November 2018 through February 2019, a hantavirus outbreak was observed in a small town in Argentina, resulting in 34 infections and 11 deaths. During that outbreak, the virus’s reproduction number reached 2.12—meaning that each infected individual spread the virus to approximately two other people. However, after preventative measures were enforced, that number dropped significantly.
“I know you are worried…but I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on May 9 while addressing a crowd. “The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now.”
Supporting this statement, human-to-human transmission of hantavirus remains rare. “This virus is really one that’s found in wild rodents,” Dr. Jorge Luis Salinas, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford, said. “Infected animals might make their way inside a cabin in the mountains or a remote ranch, but we’re not typically seeing them in suburban or urban environments.”
However, mortality rates tell another story. In the Americas, hantavirus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), which carries a mortality rate of up to 50%. Cases in Europe and Asia, however, have significantly lower fatality rates, ranging from 1% to 15%.
Overall, overwhelming data and testimony from doctors suggest that hantavirus should not cause the general public to panic. Preventative measures—primarily keeping rodents out of the home—remain the quickest and easiest way to stay safe and breathe a little easier.
