Hantavirus monitoring ends in Atlanta as Emory University Hospital releases patients
One of two Georgia patients being monitored for hantavirus after a cruise on the MV Hondius arrives at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta on May 11, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
ATLANTA - Two Georgia residents monitored inside a specialized biocontainment unit following a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship were safely discharged Friday from Emory University Hospital.
Patients leave Atlanta unit
The backstory:
A Georgia couple was moved Monday into Emory University Hospital’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit after returning from a cruise on the MV Hondius.
One passenger exhibited mild symptoms of the virus but repeatedly tested negative.
Doctors kept both individuals under specialized evaluation until discharging them Friday.
Emory University Hospital operates as one of 13 federally supported Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers equipped to manage high-consequence infectious diseases.
Cruise ship infection origins
Big picture view:
The outbreak began in April aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization confirmed that 11 cases are linked to the ship, which resulted in three deaths. Genetic testing identified the Andes variant of hantavirus, a rare strain capable of causing severe respiratory illness and spreading through human-to-human transmission.
Tracking international passengers
By the numbers:
Federal and state health departments are tracking 18 Americans who were aboard the cruise vessel. The CDC and global health agencies assess the broader threat to the public as low because the virus typically requires close contact with bodily fluids to spread. The MV Hondius has been completely evacuated of its passengers and is sailing to the Netherlands for deep cleaning and disinfection.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a press release by Emory University Hospital Media Relations Director Jen Phillips, as well as previous tracking data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.