What to know about hantavirus
Six people on a cruise ship were affected by suspected hantavirus cases, with three deaths reported, according to health officials. The virus, primarily spread by rodents, causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and can lead to severe respiratory illness. Though rare, the disease has a high fatality rate and no known vaccine, treatment, or cure.
- ▪Hantavirus was confirmed in one person and suspected in five others aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
- ▪Three people died, one passenger was in intensive care in South Africa, and two crew members remained on board needing urgent medical care.
- ▪The virus is carried by rodents, particularly deer mice, and causes symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and respiratory distress that can progress rapidly.
- ▪In 2025, Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico.
- ▪The first known U.S. outbreak occurred in 1993 in the Four Corners region, leading to 14 deaths and the identification of the virus by CDC researchers.
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Health newsWhat to know about hantavirusSix people on board a cruise ship were affected by suspected cases of hantavirus, and three died, health officials said. In 2025, the virus killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Signage at Yosemite National Park, where four people staying in the Curry Village tent cabins were infected with the hantavirus before two of them died from illness in 2012.Michael Macor / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 3, 2026, 11:09 PM EDTBy Evan BushThe virus that is believed to be responsible for the deaths of three people and the illnesses of three others aboard a cruise ship over the weekend is a relatively rare but devastating threat without a vaccine, treatment…
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