American passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship arrive back in the U.S.

Health newsAmerican passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship arrive back in the U.S. One passenger who is suffering mild symptoms will be taken to a second site to be treated separately, officials said. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleEvacuations underway on hantavirus cruise ship02:19Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 11, 2026, 3:48 AM EDTBy Patrick SmithThe 17 Americans who were aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship Hondius have now arrived home in the United States.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A State Department plane carrying them landed at Omaha Eppley Airfield in Nebraska at about 2:30 a.m. ET Monday, and the passengers were due to be assessed and monitored at a nearby medical center.One passenger who is suffering mild symptoms will be taken to a second site to be treated separately, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. Two Americans traveled in the plane’s biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” HHS said, and one passenger tested “mildly” positive for the Andes strain of the virus.“Upon arrival at each facility, each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition,” the department said. One British national with U.S. citizenship was also on the flight, Spanish authorities said earlier. Meanwhile, a woman who was among 5 French passengers repatriated Sunday to Paris from the Hondius has tested positive for hantavirus and her health worsened in the hospital overnight, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Monday.The luxury cruise ship arrived early Sunday at the island of Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of west Africa. Its long and arduous journey saw six confirmed cases and two suspected cases of the disease, usually associated with rodents, and the deaths of three passengers.The first pass...