Hantavirus, connected to cruise ship, has killed 3. Is NC at risk?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Several people aboard the MV Hondius were sickened and three were medically evacuated.
- One hantavirus case was reported in North Carolina in 1995, with no cases since.
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome lacks a specific treatment and may require ECMO.
A recent cruise ship outbreak of a rare illness spread by rodents killed three and sickened several others, according to the World Health Organization.
Hantavirus is a rare group of viruses primarily spread by the inhalation of mouse feces and urine. One form, the Andes virus, can spread between human beings. Andes virus is the most common cause of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the severe respiratory illness hantaviruses cause, in South America.
The MV Hondius cruise ship carries 147 passengers and crew members. Three people have been medically evacuated, and the first two deaths were a couple that had traveled to South America, including Argentina, prior to boarding the ship. The New York Times reports the ship plans to dock in the coming days in Spain’s Canary Islands.
In 2025, hantavirus made the news when it was named the cause of death of classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman.
Hantavirus in the United States
The hantavirus found in the United States is called Sin Nombre virus, which means “no name.” It is primarily found in deer mice.
“The name they wanted to use was four corners virus, because it’s in the four corners where four states touch each other in the Southwest. And then the governors protested, and then they had a Native American name, and the Native Americans protested, so they ended up calling it no name virus,” said UNC Medical Center Department of Infection Prevention Director David Weber.
Weber said that there are new world and old world forms of hantavirus. New world viruses, like Sin Nombre and Andes, have higher mortality rates and often present with lung failure.
Sin Nombre virus has a mortality rate of roughly 35%. The Andes virus has a mortality rate of 36%.
Hantavirus in North Carolina
One case of hantavirus was found in North Carolina in 1995, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. No cases have been reported since.
A diabetic woman in Jackson County contracted and survived the disease. Trappings near her home in following months caught a variety of deer mice and white-footed mice, though the rodents tested negative for the virus.
Weber said that because hantavirus in The United States is typically found in the Southwest, North Carolinians are at low risk of contracting an already rare disease.
“I’d say for people in North Carolina, the risk is very low,” Weber said. “The risk would be picking it up somewhere else in the country. Obviously, the risk of the people on the cruise ship is unusual and much higher.”
Hantavirus Pulminary Syndrome symptoms
Hantaviruses cause Hantavirus Pulminary Syndrome. Symptoms begin to show one to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent, or in rare cases, an infected person, according to the CDC.
Early symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups
About half of HPS patients experience:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Chills
- Abdominal problems like nausea, diarrhea and/or vomiting
Four to 10 days after initial illness, patients may develop coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest from fluid building in the lungs, according to the CDC.
Hantavirus treatment
There is no specific treatment for hantavirus. Weber said that strong care in the ICU, including Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, can help.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a treatment that pumps blood out of the body and through a machine that oxygenates blood, allowing patients in severe respiratory or heart distress to heal.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Hantavirus, connected to cruise ship, has killed 3. Is NC at risk?."
