Hantavirus in the US: Which States Are Monitoring MV Hondius Passengers

Last updated: 10 May 2026 · 01:10 UTC · Source: WHO DON600, CDC HAN, NBC News, Virginia DOH, NJ DOH.

State-by-state status (6 states)

State	Status	Source	Notes
Arizona	Ship traveler monitoring	CDC HAN	Returning MV Hondius passenger under daily symptom check-in
California	Ship traveler monitoring	CDC HAN	Count not publicly disclosed; CDPH coordinating
Georgia	Ship traveler monitoring (2)	WTOC / Georgia DPH	Two returning passengers under DPH watch
Texas	Ship traveler monitoring (2)	CDC HAN / DSHS	Two returning passengers
Virginia	Ship traveler monitoring (1)	Virginia DOH	VDH said "a small number (<5) of other potentially exposed Virginians might be identified in the days ahead"
New Jersey	Flight contact monitoring (2)	NJ DOH / NBC News	Air-travel exposure to a confirmed case — NOT ship passengers

17 Americans still aboard MV Hondius

Per NBC News and the CDC, 17 American nationals were still aboard the vessel as of May 9, 2026, when the ship arrived offshore Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife. The CDC dispatched a team of epidemiologists and medical professionals to Tenerife to meet and escort these 17 passengers through the repatriation process.

Repatriation route — Nebraska Medicine NQU

Returning Americans will be flown from Tenerife to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, then transferred to Nebraska Medicine's National Quarantine Unit (NQU). Dr. Michael Wadman, NQU Medical Director, confirmed 20 available private rooms. Each person will have vital signs monitored daily, with access to infectious-disease specialists, critical-care physicians, Wi-Fi, and exercise equipment. A biocontainment unit is on standby if any passenger deteriorates clinically.

CDC Emergency Operations Center — Level 3 activation

The CDC has classified the MV Hondius response as a Level 3 Emergency Response — the lowest of three EOC tiers. The Atlanta EOC is activated to coordinate across CDC programs, state health departments, the airline industry, and US government partners abroad. Level 3 is consistent with WHO's global risk assessment of LOW for the cluster (onboard risk is assessed MODERATE). It is not the same as a Level 1 (full activation) response.

What "monitoring" means in the US

State-level monitoring of MV Hondius contacts involves daily symptom self-reporting and active outreach by the state health department. Monitoring typically runs for the maximum hantavirus incubation period (around 6 weeks). No quarantine is required for asymptomatic contacts under current US guidance — that protocol is reserved for the 17 Americans currently being repatriated to NQU. Andes virus is the only hantavirus strain with documented person-to-person transmission, but WHO confirms secondary transmission requires close, prolonged contact — not casual or shared-air exposure.

Zero confirmed US infections

As of May 10 2026 there are zero PCR-confirmed Andes hantavirus infections in the United States from this cluster. Monitoring is a precaution. WHO DON600 (8 May 2026) assesses the global public health risk as LOW. We will update this table as additional state health departments publish their status.