Five Americans from Hantavirus-inflicted cruise ships being monitored for virus back in the US

Published: 01:12, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 01:28, 8 May 2026 At least five Americans who returned home from a hantavirus-infected cruise ship are being monitored for the potentially deadly disease. The tourists from three different US states were aboard the MV Hondius when the sickness broke out last month. Three passengers onboard the ship have since died, while five others were sickened after showing signs of hantavirus, a family of rare viruses spread by rodents. But none of those being monitored in the United States have shown any symptoms of the illness, according to The New York Times.  The Georgia Department of Public Health said it is monitoring two residents who 'are currently in good health and show no signs of infection.'  It added that it is following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The California Department of Public Health also said it was notified that residents had been onboard the ship, but officials would not specify how many residents it was monitoring. 'There is no information that the California residents are ill or infected,' Robert Barsanti, a spokesman for the department told the Times. 'At this time, the risk to public health in California is low.' Additionally, the Arizona Department of Health Services said it received notification that a resident was a passenger on the cruise, though a spokeswoman said the 'individual is not symptomatic, and is being monitored.'  Health workers in protective gear evacuate patients from the MV Hondius into an ambulance at a Praia, Cape Verde, port on Wednesday Five Americans are being monitored after they were identified as passengers on the ship   This is a breaking news story and will be updated. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.