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2 NJ residents exposed to hantavirus that caused cruise ship outbreak
By
Caroline Lewis
Published May 8, 2026
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Emin Yogurtcuoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Caroline Lewis
Published May 8, 2026
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Two New Jersey residents are being monitored closely after they were possibly exposed to a form of hantavirus that recently caused a deadly outbreak of the disease on an international cruise ship, the New Jersey Department of Health said Friday.
The Garden State residents are not currently showing symptoms of illness and were not passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius, where several people were infected and three died, New Jersey health officials said. Rather, the pair were exposed to someone who had been on the cruise, according to the department.
Several international travelers on board the cruise ship, now off the coast of West Africa, have been infected with a particular strain of hantavirus known as the Andes virus, according to the World Health Organization, which was first notified of the outbreak on May 2. While some are isolating onboard, others have already disembarked, according to NPR.
Hantaviruses — a family of viruses that can cause severe pulmonary disease with flu-like symptoms — are most commonly transmitted to humans by rodents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Andes virus, however, is the one type of hantavirus that is also known to spread from person to person, according to the CDC.
“At this time, the risk to the general public in New Jersey remains very low,” the New Jersey health department said in a statement. “No current hantavirus cases have been identified in the state, and there is no history of a confirmed hantavirus case reported in New Jersey.”
New York City Health Commissioner Alister Martin said he has not been notified of any residents of the five boroughs who were exposed to the virus, but added, “this is an evolving situation that we’re monitoring in close communication with other health agencies.”
In New York state, only six hantavirus infections were recorded statewide between 1995 and 2023, according to the New York state Department of Health.
Here’s what to know now about the virus.
What do we know about the current outbreak?
As of May 7, eight cases of the Andes virus linked to the cruise ship outbreak have been confirmed and three people have died, according to the World Health Organization.
After being notified of the infections, WHO said it deployed an expert to the ship to help assess all passengers and crew. WHO has also sent 2,500 diagnostic testing kits to multiple countries to help test for the Andes virus, which is typically seen in Chile and Argentina.
Argentinian health authorities are investigating the theory that a Dutch couple brought the Andes virus onto the cruise ship after contracting it from a rodent in a town called Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina, according to NPR.
What are the symptoms of Andes virus?
According to the CDC, symptoms of the Andes virus are flu-like and can include a headache, muscle aches, a fever, nausea and vomiting, a cough, chest pain and difficulty breathing. These symptoms can appear anywhere from four to 42 days after exposure.
Hantavirus, in general, is typically diagnosed through discussing possible exposures with a medical provider, since symptoms can appear similar to other illnesses, according to the New York state Department of Health.
How is hantavirus spread and how can I avoid exposure?
Hantaviruses can be carried in rodent droppings, saliva or urine and then inhaled by humans — creating a risk for anyone entering a poorly ventilated building with a rodent infestation, according to the New York state health department.
While New York City has its fair share of rodents, most cases of hantavirus in the United States have been found west of the Mississippi River, according to the New York state Department of Health. The Andes virus, in particular, is not found in rodents in the United States, according to the CDC.
According to the state health department, the best way to prevent exposure to hantavirus is to avoid contact with live or dead rodents as well as their droppings and urine and to avoid disturbing any rodent burrows or nests.
How is the Andes virus transmitted from person to person?
Since outbreaks of the Andes virus are rare and it’s the only hantavirus known to be transmitted from person to person, it’s still not fully understood how the virus spreads among humans, said Dr. Kartik Chandran, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
“The most likely way the virus spreads is through oral secretions such as saliva,” Chandran said.
But whether it typically spreads through direct contact with a person’s saliva or through droplets in the air “is not so clear at the moment,” Chandran said.
He added that past studies suggest it spreads among people with “very close contact.”
So is the Andes virus likely to become the next COVID-19?
It seems the Andes virus is not very contagious, considering how rarely it has caused outbreaks in the past, Chandran said.
”One would imagine that with the proper precautions and contact tracing and isolation [of those exposed to the virus], one should be able to control it,” Chandran said.
But he added that it can be hard to predict when a transmission event will allow a virus to take hold and spread in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
Is there a treatment or cure?
According to the CDC, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for the Andes virus. But the New York state Department of Health says early medical care to address the symptoms is crucial, and that anyone suspected of having hantavirus should be taken to an emergency room or intensive care unit immediately for close monitoring.
Chandran said he and others in his field have been developing monoclonal antibody treatments for hantavirus that he believes are ready for clinical testing.
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Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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