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What You Need to Know: CDPH continues to closely coordinate with federal and local public health officials following notification that three California residents were aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship that experienced an outbreak of Andes hantavirus. An additional California resident was identified who was on an international flight sitting near an ill returning cruise passenger who later was confirmed to have Andes hantavirus.
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) continues to coordinate with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials to monitor four Californians exposed to the outbreak of Andes hantavirus that occurred aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.
Two of these individuals have returned to their respective homes and are being monitored by their local public health officials. Two additional California residents have been transported to the United States by federal authorities. They will return to California once health assessments have been done and arrangements have been made to protect their and the public’s health. The risk to the public remains extremely low.
On May 8, CDPH announced one individual from California had returned to the state and is being monitored by local public health officials. This weekend, CDC notified CDPH of an additional contact now under active monitoring in California due to potential exposure with a confirmed case on a shared flight. Two other California residents who were on the MV Hondius have been evacuated to a secure medical facility in Nebraska.
“We understand public concern about this unusual outbreak,” said Dr. Erica Pan, State Public Health Officer and CDPH Director. “Decades of experience in South America have shown that this Andes hantavirus rarely spreads between people. We continue to work with federal and local officials to monitor the health of potentially exposed individuals and prepare for our Californians to come home.”
The Californians currently in Nebraska will be transported home after further health assessment and appropriate arrangements have been made to protect their and public health. After their return, local health officials will monitor the returned passengers as necessary. Currently, public health monitoring protocol includes daily temperature checks, assessment for any symptoms consistent with hantavirus, and direction to modify activities.
Prior to response efforts related to this outbreak, the CDPH Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (VRDL) was the only public health laboratory in the U.S. with a validated diagnostic hantavirus PCR assay to conduct testing for hantavirus. If any exposed individual develops symptoms consistent with infection, California has the capability to test in the state. CDPH VRDL is also providing technical assistance to other laboratories across the country to support testing capacity.
CDPH is coordinating closely with hospitals who can care for potential hantavirus cases and has issued clinical health advisories to clinicians to provide guidance for appropriate care.
The risk to the public remains extremely low.
About Hantavirus & Transmission Risk
Hantavirus is a group of viruses that spread through the urine, droppings (feces), and saliva of wild rodents. Hantaviruses include both the Sin Nombre and Andes virus strains. The Andes hantavirus identified in this cruise ship outbreak is found in the southern Andes region of Argentina and Chile. Andes hantavirus has also been associated with rare human‑to‑human transmission after close, prolonged contact with an ill infected person.
Andes hantavirus is different than the Sin Nombre hantavirus, which is native to California and North America. Sin Nombre hantavirus has not been associated with person-to-person transmission.
From 1980 to 2025, 99 California residents have been diagnosed with Sin Nombre hantavirus infection.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a rare but severe respiratory illness that can develop following exposure. Early symptoms resemble influenza, can include gastrointestinal symptoms, and can progress rapidly to life‑threatening respiratory distress. The fatality rate is approximately 30 – 40 percent. There is no antiviral treatment for hantavirus and HPS typically needs aggressive critical medical supportive care.
Further Reading and Updates
More information on hantavirus is available on CDPH’s hantavirus web page and from the CDC’s hantavirus web page. An update on the federal government evacuation and repatriation efforts was issued in a CDC health alert on Friday, May 8.
This is a dynamic and evolving investigation and response. CDPH will continue to update the public as new information becomes available.
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