U.S. health officials have unveiled a plan for 17 American passengers aboard the expedition cruise ship Hondius, which has been linked to a rare hantavirus outbreak.
Authorities said Saturday that once the vessel arrives in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, the U.S. citizens will be transported to Nebraska for medical screening before continuing home under a period of monitored self-isolation.
The outbreak has raised international concern after three passengers died in recent weeks and eight suspected infections were identified, including five laboratory-confirmed cases. The CDC is also tracking seven Americans who had already returned to the United States before the outbreak drew global attention.
Health experts say the outbreak involves the Andes strain of hantavirus — a rare variant capable of limited human-to-human transmission. Most hantavirus infections are typically contracted through contact with rodent waste. Investigators currently believe the earliest infections likely occurred in Argentina or during shore excursions in South America before passengers boarded the vessel.
Despite the seriousness of the cases onboard, international health authorities, including the World Health Organization, continue to describe the overall public health threat as low.
The CDC issued this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to inform clinicians and health departments about the hantavirus disease cases caused by infection with Andes virus. The risk to the public’s health in the United States is considered extremely low at this time. As a… pic.twitter.com/zfwl2BhzRm
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 9, 2026
The CDC confirmed it has dispatched personnel to the Canary Islands and is coordinating closely with Spanish officials, the State Department and the WHO as preparations continue for the ship’s arrival. American passengers are expected to be flown on a government-chartered aircraft to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, where they will undergo health evaluations at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s quarantine facility.
Officials stressed that the stay in Nebraska is expected to be short-term. Passengers who remain symptom-free are likely to complete the majority of the 42-day monitoring period from their homes under supervision from local health authorities.
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya said the passengers are not currently showing symptoms and emphasized that transmission of the virus generally requires close contact with an infected person displaying signs of illness.
Hantavirus Outbreak Aboard Cruise Ship Not Another COVID, WHO Says
State health departments in Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey are already monitoring returning travelers and other potentially exposed individuals. Officials said no confirmed symptoms have been reported among those currently under observation.
The CDC has reportedly categorized the incident as a Level 3 response — the agency’s lowest emergency activation tier — indicating that officials believe the risk to the wider public remains limited. Nonetheless, the agency has activated its emergency operations center to coordinate international containment and monitoring efforts.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the situation, expressing optimism that the outbreak was being effectively managed. Alongside the United States, the British government is also arranging repatriation flights for its citizens aboard the vessel.
The outbreak has nevertheless had devastating consequences for several passengers. The first known fatality, a Dutch traveler, died in April after becoming ill near Saint Helena. His wife later died in a South African hospital after being evacuated for treatment. A British passenger remains hospitalized in critical condition, while another passenger from Germany died earlier this month.
Additional evacuations have since taken place, including the ship’s doctor and several other individuals requiring specialized medical care in Europe.
Investigators are continuing efforts to determine the precise source of the outbreak, with attention focused on Argentina, where some of the earliest patients had traveled before embarking on the cruise.
Medical experts note that symptoms of hantavirus infection may take up to eight weeks to appear and often begin with fever, muscle pain, headaches and nausea before potentially progressing to severe respiratory illness, organ complications and shock in critical cases.
