The CDC has classified a hantavirus outbreak linked to an MV Hondius cruise ship as a level 3 emergency response — the agency’s lowest level of emergency activation — as U.S. health officials monitor passengers across five states.
The CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to support the response effort, according to a May 7 report from ABC News. At least seven U.S. residents from Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia are being monitored for potential hantavirus symptoms after traveling aboard the ship. The designation indicates the risk to the general public remains low, though the agency is actively monitoring the outbreak.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said May 7 that two Texas residents who had been aboard returned to the U.S. before the outbreak were identified. State health officials said both individuals reported no symptoms and no known contact with sick passengers while aboard the ship. The agency said the two residents agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms and complete daily temperature checks.
The outbreak began after a passenger aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship developed fever, headache and diarrhea April 6 while traveling through the South Atlantic, according to a May 4 World Health Organization report. The passenger later developed respiratory distress and died April 11.
A second passenger who had close contact with the first case later died after becoming ill during a flight to South Africa, where laboratory testing confirmed a hantavirus infection. A third passenger who developed pneumonia-like symptoms aboard the ship also tested positive after being medically evacuated to South Africa, according to WHO.
WHO said seven cases tied to the outbreak — including two laboratory-confirmed infections and five suspected cases — had been identified among passengers and crew, as of May 4. Three deaths have been reported.
WHO said the outbreak investigation remains ongoing and includes case isolation, medical evacuation and laboratory testing. The organization said hantavirus infections are primarily linked to contact with infected rodents, though limited person-to-person transmission has been documented with the Andes virus, the strain linked to the outbreak.
According to the CDC, the Andes virus is the only hantavirus known to spread person-to-person. The virus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness with early symptoms that may resemble the flu, including fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea and cough.
WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population as low. The CDC also said there is currently no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for the Andes virus and urged people experiencing symptoms after exposure to seek medical care immediately.
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