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Hantavirus outbreak: Emory patient tests negative for Andes hantavirus

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FOX 5 Atlanta
Atlanta
Updated May 12, 2026 2:04 PM EDT Published May 12, 2026 2:03 PM EDT
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The Brief

    • One passenger being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has tested negative for the Andes variant of hantavirus, though they remain under close monitoring.
    • Health officials are watching a second passenger at Emory and 16 other Americans at a specialized center in Nebraska following an outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
    • Infectious disease experts say while hantavirus can be deadly, the risk to the general public in Georgia is extremely low since it typically requires sustained, direct contact to spread.

ATLANTA - Health officials said Tuesday that one of the passengers being treated at Emory University Hospital following the deadly MV Hondius cruise outbreak has tested negative for the Andes strain of hantavirus.

What we know:

According to a post on X by the Department of Health and Human Services, the mildly symptomatic U.S. passenger transferred to Atlanta tested negative for the virus overnight.

Officials also said all 16 Americans who arrived Monday at the specialized treatment center in Omaha, Nebraska, remain asymptomatic.

The two passengers brought to Atlanta arrived Monday morning aboard a specially arranged flight from Omaha and were transported to Emory University Hospital’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit. Emory officials said on Monday that one patient was receiving treatment while another asymptomatic close contact remained under evaluation and monitoring.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear what caused the initial symptoms in the patient who tested negative. Health officials have not released the specific identities of the two passengers being treated in Atlanta.

What they're saying:

Dr. Robin Dretler, a board director of the Infectious Disease Society of America, said there is no cause for alarm in Georgia. He explained that hantavirus is not like COVID-19. It typically requires face-to-face contact over a long period or direct contact with infected rat and mouse droppings. Dr. Cecil Bennett of Newnan Family Medicine Associates added that symptoms often include headache, tiredness, fever, chills and stomach issues.

Big picture view:

Sixteen other Americans from the same cruise ship are currently being monitored at a specialized treatment center in Nebraska. The hantavirus can take up to eight weeks to incubate. Health officials may see additional cases emerge in the coming weeks.

Dig deeper:

The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius drew international attention after multiple passengers became ill during and after a birdwatching excursion in Argentina. 

The outbreak has been tied to a birdwatching excursion in Argentina before the cruise departed. Most cases of hantavirus are transmitted by breathing in dust from dried rodent urine or feces, but the Andes virus is unique in that it can be transmitted from person to person through close and prolonged contact. 

Federal and state health officials continue to stress that the risk to the general public remains low.

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The Source

  • Information for the above story came from a post on social media by the Department of Health and Human Services and previous reporting by FOX 5 Atlanta (linked above). FOX 5's Christopher King spoke with medical experts at Emory Decatur Hospital and Newnan Family Medicine Associates.

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