Two Maryland residents monitored for hantavirus after sharing flight with infected cruise ship passenger

Two Maryland residents are being monitored for imaginable hantavirus exposure, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

Health officials said the Maryland residents were connected a formation that included a rider from the MV Hondius cruise vessel who was infected with hantavirus.

Health authorities said they are taking these steps retired of an abundance of caution. At this time, the hazard to the nationalist successful Maryland remains "very low," authorities wellness officials said.

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View of the cruise vessel MV Hondius docked successful the larboard of Granadilla earlier mounting people for the Netherlands, connected 11 May, 2026 successful Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.  (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images)

Maryland wellness officials said the 2 residents with imaginable hantavirus vulnerability were not connected the MV Hondius cruise ship, but they were connected a formation overseas with a rider who has the virus.

The section declined to supply further details astir the residents, citing a request to support their privacy.

Medical unit nonstop immoderate of the past passengers to beryllium evacuated from the MV Hondius connected May 11, 2026 successful Tenerife, portion of the Canary Islands, Spain.  (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The 2 Maryland residents are being monitored during the virus’s incubation period, which tin scope from 4 to 42 days. Officials said asymptomatic individuals are not considered infectious.

No hantavirus cases person been reported successful Maryland since 2019, and Andes microorganism infections person ne'er been identified successful the state, officials said. Health authorities said they are coordinating with national and planetary partners arsenic the concern continues to evolve.

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American passengers from the cruise vessel MV Hondius arrived successful Omaha, Neb., connected Monday, May 11, 2026, aft flying from Tenerife, Spain. The vessel was stricken with hantavirus. (Nick Ingram/AP)

According to the Maryland Department of Health, hantavirus is typically dispersed done interaction with infected rodents, but the strain tied to the cruise vessel – the Andes microorganism – is the lone known benignant susceptible of person-to-person transmission.

"The hantaviruses that are recovered passim the United States are not known to dispersed betwixt people," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

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Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is simply a uncommon infectious illness that starts with flu-like symptoms and tin rapidly advancement to life-threatening lung and bosom problems. Several hantavirus strains tin origin the illness, besides known arsenic hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, according to Mayo Clinic. 

Early symptoms of HPS tin see fatigue, fever and musculus aches, with astir fractional of each patients besides experiencing headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems, similar nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. 

HPS has a astir 40% fatality complaint successful those who are infected, according to the CDC. Similar hantavirus cases person been reported successful Arizona, California and Georgia.