An American and a French woman who left the MV Hondius ship tested positive for Andes hantavirus.
A Dutch couple and a German woman have died from the outbreak.
12 countries are tracking exposed passengers; human-to-human transmission possible but public risk is low.
US And French Nationals Test Positive For Hantavirus After Leaving Ship
The World Health Organization has emphasized that the Andes strain is the only hantavirus variant capable of human-to-human transmission.
Summary
An American national and a French woman evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius have tested positive for the Andes virus strain, officials confirmed on May 10-11, 2026.
The French woman began feeling unwell on the repatriation flight to Paris and "tests came back positive," according to French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist.
One American passenger tested mildly positive without symptoms, while another showed mild symptoms during flight; both were transported in biocontainment units to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Three passengers, a Dutch couple and a German woman, have died in connection with the outbreak. Health authorities in at least 12 countries are monitoring citizens who were aboard or had contact with infected individuals.
The World Health Organization has emphasized that the Andes strain is the only hantavirus variant capable of human-to-human transmission, though officials stress "this is not another COVID" and public risk remains low. French authorities have identified 22 contact cases, while 17 U.S. citizens are under medical observation.
Should India be worried?
While none of the passengers on the cruise was Indian citizens, it was revealed that two Indians citizens were a part of the support staff on the Oceanwide Expedition cruise.
The two Indian nationals have been confirmed to be asymptomatic and under observation as per international health protocols, Union Health Ministry sources said on Friday.
Reassuring that the duo remains under close observation, the Ministry said that they received information through International Health Regulations (IHR) channels and that they are maintaining close coordination with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international partners.
Director of the ICMR's National Institute of Virology, Dr Naveen Kumar, told PTI that the cases appear to be isolated ones and there is no immediate public health threat to India. Additionally, he claimed that there is no evidence of community spread as of now.
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