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Hantavirus live updates: Americans in quarantine seen in good spirits

Two cruise ship passengers complimented the quarantine staff and doctors.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus of those who were onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship stands at 10, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

Passengers began disembarking on Sunday in the Canary Islands, where many boarded charter flights to their home countries.

Sixteen American passengers arrived on Monday at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Fifteen of those passengers were being monitored in a quarantine unit and another, who had initially tested positive, was in a biocontainment unit, officials said. Later, that person tested negative and was medically cleared to go to the quarantine unit.

Two other American passengers were flown to Atlanta for "further assessment and care," officials said.

May 8, 10:44 am

What is hantavirus and how does it spread?

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

Stock photo of a colorized electron micrograph of the Hantavirus.
Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Lib/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype from South America, according to the WHO.

Read more about hantavirus here.

May 08, 2026, 12:17 PM EDT

Which states are monitoring potential hantavirus

No U.S. residents have experienced any signs of illness as of Friday morning, according to health officials. However, six states are tracking nine residents for possible hantavirus infections.

States monitoring residents for hantavirus
States monitoring residents for hantavirus

Health officials in Texas, New Jersey and Georgia are monitoring two people while officials in California, Virginia and Arizona say they each are monitoring one person.

May 08, 2026, 12:14 PM EDT

2 New Jersey residents being monitored for hantavirus

Two New Jersey residents -- who were not passengers on the cruise ship M/V Hondius -- are being monitored for possible hantavirus infections.

The state's health department was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the residents were potentially exposed to an infected cruise ship passenger during a flight. Neither individual is reporting symptoms.

This brings the total of U.S. residents under monitoring to at least nine across six states. None have shown any signs of illness at this time.

-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud

May 08, 2026, 12:08 PM EDT

State Dept says it will arrange repatriation flight for Americans on ship

The State Department said Friday that it is in "direct communication with Americans on board" the Dutch cruise ship impacted by the hantavirus outbreak and "prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain."

The department added that it is arranging a repatriation flight to support the return of those American passengers.

A boat sails beside the cruise ship, MV Hondius, hit by Hantavirus as it is anchored off Cape Verde port, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 5, 2026.
Reuters TV via Reuters

The department said it was working in coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Spanish government to plan for the transport of those passengers.

Additionally, the department said it is still "closely tracking the hantavirus outbreak" on the MV Hondius and remains in "close contact" with the cruise ship staff and international health authorities.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

May 08, 2026, 10:05 AM EDT

New hantavirus case reported in Spain

A woman in the Spanish province of Alicante has tested positive for a hantavirus infection, secretary of state for health, Javier Padilla, told reporters on Friday, according to Reuters.

The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters

The unidentified patient was a passenger on the same flight as the woman who died in South Africa after leaving the ship, according to Padilla.

-ABC News' Zoe Magee

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