How hantavirus spreads: What to know about rare person-to-person transmission

Health newsHow hantavirus spreads: What to know about rare person-to-person transmissionBecause symptoms of the virus can take from two to eight weeks to develop, it’s possible more of the 150 passengers aboard the cruise ship could be infected, experts say.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The MV Hondius cruise ship off the port of Praia, Cape Verde, on Sunday.AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 7:10 PM EDTBy Lauren DunnThe World Health Organization said Tuesday that some passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship may have been infected with the deadly hantavirus through person-to-person transmission, an extremely rare occurrence that scientists are racing to confirm.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“Our assumption is they were infected off the boat and then joined the cruise,” Maria Van Kerkhove, an American epidemiologist and technical adviser to the WHO, said at a news briefing early Tuesday. “However, we do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that’s happening among the really close contacts, the husband and wife, people who’ve shared cabins, etc.” There have been two confirmed cases of the virus, and five others are suspected. Three people have died. One patient is in intensive care, and three people are reporting mild symptoms, according to the WHO. Nearly 150 passengers remain quarantined on the ship, which is docked off Cape Verde but will eventually move to the Canary Islands. Health officials and the cruise ship company have yet to say when the passengers will be allowed to leave. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said Tuesday afternoon that patients who need urgent care are being evacuated. The rest will continue to the Canary Islands, where the rest of the crew and passengers will be examined, treated and then transferred to their home countries. Because the incubation period for the virus can range fr...