American Evacuated From Ship Tests Positive for Hantavirus

UPDATE May 11, 2026 12:30 AM CDT

One of the 17 Americans evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for the virus, but is showing no symptoms, officials said late Sunday. The passengers were transported from the Canary Islands on a charter flight that was expected to land in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday, the AP reports. "One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms," says a spokesperson for the Nebraska Medical Center.

May 10, 2026 5:00 PM CDT

Seventeen Americans who were aboard a cruise ship affected by hantavirus are being flown back to the US and evaluated by federal health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. The passengers from the M/V Hondius, which docked in Tenerife, were met in Spain by CDC medical teams that questioned them about possible exposure to the virus. None of the 17 has tested positive, the Guardian reports, and their names have not been released. They are being transported on a chartered flight to Omaha, Nebraska, where the national quarantine and biocontainment units are located.

Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya told CNN that on their arrival in Omaha, officials will assess each person's exposure risk. Those without close contact with symptomatic individuals will be classified as low risk; others may be placed in medium- or high-risk categories. Depending on that assessment, the former MV Hondius passengers will be offered the choice of remaining in Nebraska for monitoring or returning home, where they would be overseen by state and local health departments with CDC support. Also:

• Isolated case: UK Army medics have parachuted onto a remote Atlantic island to assist a British national who reported having symptoms of the hantavirus. He was a passenger on the ship who disembarked at Tristan da Cunha, where he lives, last month, per the BBC. The island is the UK's most remote inhabited overseas territory.
• Pope's gratitude: In his Sunday prayer in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo thanked residents of the Canary Islands for the "hospitality" they've shown to the MV Hondius crew and its passengers. "I look forward to seeing all of you next month during my visit to the islands," he said. The trip to Spain was planned before the outbreak, per ABC News.