Should You Be Worried About Hantavirus?

On May 2nd 2026, a group of passengers with severe respiratory issues on a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). The ship was carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of May 4th 2026, seven cases (two confirmed and five suspected cases) have been found, including three deaths, one patient in a critical state, and three individuals reporting mild symptoms.

The virus that was found on this ship is called Hantavirus. The CDC has said “Hantaviruses are a family of viruses which can cause serious illnesses and death.” These viruses cause diseases such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). As people are seeing this outbreak of Hantavirus go on, people are asking if this virus will spread, and cause lockdowns akin to Covid-19.

Well, some good news is that the Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread person-to-person. This spread is usually limited to people who have been in close contact with the sick person. The rest of the known types of Hantavirus are spread mainly by rodents. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. It can also spread through a bite or scratch by a rodent, however this is rare. 

Some early symptoms can include:

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and shoulders

About half of all HPS patients also experience:

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Chills

• Abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain

Four to 10 days after the initial phase of the sickness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath (patients might also experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid.) HPS can be lethal. 38% of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease. 

Initial HFRS symptoms begin quickly, and include:

• Intense headaches

• Back and abdominal pain

• Fever/chills

• Nausea

• Blurred vision

• Flushing of the face

• Inflammation or redness of the eyes

• A rash 

Later symptoms can include:

• Low blood pressure

• Lack of blood flow (acute shock)

• Internal bleeding (vascular leakage)

• Acute kidney failure, causing severe fluid overload

The severity and lethality of the disease changes depending on the virus causing the infection. Hantaan and Dobrava virus infections usually cause severe symptoms in which 5-15% of cases are fatal. However, Seoul, Saaremaa, and Puumala virus infections are usually more mild with less than 1% dying from the disease. Recovery can take several weeks to months.

Should you be worried about this virus? Well, the answer is no. You likely do not need to be worried about hantavirus, as it is rare, not highly contagious between people, and poses an extremely low risk to the general public.