{"id":2,"date":"2026-05-07T20:07:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/hantavirus\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2026-05-09T17:34:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:34:44","slug":"hantavirus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/hantavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Hantavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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May 2026 Hantavirus Outbreak<\/h2>\n

The World Health Organization\u00a0(WHO)\u00a0was\u00a0<\/span>notified<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0May 2, 2026,\u00a0of a\u00a0possible\u00a0hantavirus\u00a0outbreak on\u00a0the\u00a0MV\u00a0Hondius\u00a0cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.\u00a0Multiple cases, including some fatal cases, have been reported so far. It is possible that there will be more cases.\u00a0That is because it\u00a0can take up to six weeks for symptoms to develop\u00a0after an exposure.\u00a0For the\u00a0latest\u00a0case counts\u00a0and\u00a0updates, visit\u00a0<\/span>WHO\u2019s website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or follow WHO on social media.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0current outbreak\u00a0is\u00a0caused by a type of hantavirus called\u00a0<\/span>Andes virus<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0Andes virus is unique.\u00a0It is the only hantavirus that has been shown to spread from person to person. This spread between people is rare.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>outbreak<\/span>-<\/span>associated\u00a0<\/span>ca<\/span>ses have been\u00a0<\/span>identified<\/span>\u00a0in the U.S.<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>VDH believes the<\/span>\u00a0risk of this outbreak to the public is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>low<\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n