Calm, independent reporting on the global hantavirus outbreak.
Three deaths, seven confirmed cases (including the first off-ship secondary case, confirmed in Tenerife on 13 May), twenty-three nationalities aboard a single ship. Hantavirus Ltd is tracking the 2026 Andes virus situation and explaining what's behind it, in plain English.
- Confirmed cases
- 7
- +3 suspected, 1 secondary
- Deaths
- 3
- As of 13 May
- Nationalities
- 23
- Aboard MV Hondius
- Case-fatality rate
- 38%
- Severe HPS, historical
Interactive briefing
Step into a quarantine officer's shoes.
A small simulation of what triage looks like at the gangway when a hantavirus cluster lands at port. Click only the symptomatic passengers - and don't grab the healthy ones. Speed up every fifteen seconds.
Port of Entry
Quarantine officers at the gangway have seconds to spot symptomatic passengers before they reach the crowd. Click only the infected ones - healthy travellers are off-limits.
Ready to triage?
Three missed infections, or three false positives, and your shift ends. Difficulty rises every 15 seconds.
What you came for
Start where you are
I want to understand the outbreak
A working timeline of the MV Hondius investigation, with what we know and what investigators are still chasing.
Read the timeline →Self-assessmentI might have been exposed
A 30-second triage tool to help you decide whether your situation needs a clinician's attention.
Open the risk checker →Practical guideI need to clean up safely
The single most common moment of hantavirus exposure is a well-meaning cleanup done the wrong way. Here's the correct protocol.
Cleanup walkthrough →Clinical primerI want symptoms in plain English
Stage-by-stage guide to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome - what each phase looks like and what raises emergency-room suspicion.
Symptom stages →For practitionersI'm a clinician brushing up
Differential diagnosis, the haematological signature, when to send IgM ELISA, and when to start transferring before results.
Clinical decision-making →Travel adviceI've got a cruise booked
What to ask your operator, what to do on shore in Patagonia, and the post-trip symptom window every traveller should respect.
Traveller's guide →Editor's picks
Featured reading
MV Hondius Outbreak, 13 May Update: First Secondary Case Confirmed in Tenerife
Spain has confirmed a household contact of a returning MV Hondius passenger has tested positive for Andes virus. WHO updates case totals to seven confirmed; ECDC and CDC maintain a very-low population risk classification.
Inside the Tenerife Operation: How Spain Is Contact-Tracing 147 Travellers from MV Hondius
Spanish public-health authorities have spent 72 hours assembling a multilingual contact-tracing operation for 147 returning passengers and crew from 23 nationalities. A walk through the logistics, the clinical pathway and the first secondary case.
Post-Exposure Monoclonal Antibodies for Andes Virus: The Compassionate-Use Question
An experimental two-antibody combination has shown post-exposure efficacy in primate Andes virus models. The MV Hondius outbreak has revived a long-running debate about compassionate access, supply rationing and the equity of country-by-country emergency authorisations.
The 2026 MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak: What We Know So Far
A working timeline of the Andes virus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, what investigators have confirmed, and what remains unanswered as passengers return home and the first secondary case is confirmed.
Andes Virus: The Only Hantavirus That Spreads Between People
Andes orthohantavirus is the singular exception to a rule that has held for every other hantavirus. Here is what makes it different, and why that matters now.
How to Clean Up Rodent Droppings Safely: A Step-by-Step Guide
Hantavirus exposure usually happens during cleanup, not infestation. This is the protocol public-health agencies recommend, broken down for ordinary homes.
Latest
Most recent reporting
Post-Exposure Monoclonal Antibodies for Andes Virus: The Compassionate-Use Question
An experimental two-antibody combination has shown post-exposure efficacy in primate Andes virus models. The MV Hondius outbreak has revived a long-running debate about compassionate access, supply rationing and the equity of country-by-country emergency authorisations.
Inside the Tenerife Operation: How Spain Is Contact-Tracing 147 Travellers from MV Hondius
Spanish public-health authorities have spent 72 hours assembling a multilingual contact-tracing operation for 147 returning passengers and crew from 23 nationalities. A walk through the logistics, the clinical pathway and the first secondary case.
MV Hondius Outbreak, 13 May Update: First Secondary Case Confirmed in Tenerife
Spain has confirmed a household contact of a returning MV Hondius passenger has tested positive for Andes virus. WHO updates case totals to seven confirmed; ECDC and CDC maintain a very-low population risk classification.
Travelling After the Andes Outbreak: A Risk-Based Guide for Cruise Passengers
Plenty of people booked the same kind of trip the MV Hondius was running. Here is what the outbreak should and shouldn't change about your plans.
The 2026 MV Hondius Hantavirus Outbreak: What We Know So Far
A working timeline of the Andes virus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, what investigators have confirmed, and what remains unanswered as passengers return home and the first secondary case is confirmed.
Andes Virus: The Only Hantavirus That Spreads Between People
Andes orthohantavirus is the singular exception to a rule that has held for every other hantavirus. Here is what makes it different, and why that matters now.
Hantavirus Myths Debunked: Facts vs Misinformation
A clearing-house for the most common claims doing the rounds since the MV Hondius outbreak - what's true, what's exaggerated, and what's flat wrong.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Symptoms, Stages and Survival
From a vague flu-like prodrome to sudden respiratory collapse - a stage-by-stage guide to HPS, the most dangerous form of hantavirus disease.
Free public tools
Useful things you can actually do.
We build small free tools so people can act on the information, not just read it. Take a self-check, audit your home, or pull a plain-English definition.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions our readers send us most. Each answer is keyed to a longer article if you want depth.
What is hantavirus?+
Hantavirus is a family of viruses carried primarily by rodents. The New World hantaviruses (Sin Nombre, Andes and relatives) cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a severe lung illness. Old World hantaviruses cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
Does hantavirus spread between people?+
Almost all hantaviruses do not spread between people. The exception is Andes virus, the strain behind the 2026 MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak. It can spread through close prolonged contact with a symptomatic patient and was confirmed on 13 May 2026 in the first household secondary case of the current cluster, identified in Tenerife. Even Andes virus transmits inefficiently outside of close contacts.
How serious is the 2026 outbreak?+
As of 13 May 2026, the WHO has reported ten cases linked to the MV Hondius cluster: seven confirmed (six aboard, one secondary household case in Tenerife) and three suspected, with three deaths. The ECDC and CDC both classify the risk to the general public as very low. Contact tracing is ongoing across twelve jurisdictions.
How do I prevent hantavirus exposure at home?+
Seal entry points larger than a quarter inch, store dry goods in metal or glass containers, and never sweep or vacuum dry rodent droppings. Use a 1:10 bleach solution, wear PPE, and ventilate spaces before cleaning. Read our full cleanup guide for the protocol.
What are the symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?+
Symptoms begin 1–8 weeks after exposure: fever, severe muscle aches in the thighs, hips, back and shoulders, headache, nausea and vomiting. After 4–10 days, abrupt shortness of breath can develop as fluid leaks into the lungs. Seek emergency care if respiratory symptoms appear.
Partnerships
Affiliations, syndication, partnership briefings.
We work with publishers, health charities and educators. If you have a proposal, our inbox is one address long.