Hantavirus infection is a rare but serious viral disease transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents or their waste. The virus can cause severe respiratory illness (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome) or kidney disease (Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome).
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Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents that can cause varied disease syndromes in humans. Infection occurs primarily through inhalation of virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Two main syndromes affect humans: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in the Americas and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) in Europe and Asia.
Transmitted primarily through inhalation of aerosolized virus particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Can also spread through rodent bites or touching contaminated materials then touching eyes, nose, or mouth. Rarely spreads person-to-person.
Contagious Period: Not typically contagious person-to-person; transmission occurs from infected rodents
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A case of hantavirus, which recently sparked international alarm, has been detected in a Franco-Argentine national who holidayed in France in July before being put in isolation in Spain, the French health ministry said Thursday, August 6. The patient had few symptoms and now has none, the ministry ...
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CARACAS, July 21 (Reuters) - Three people with confirmed cases of hantavirus have died in Venezuela's eastern Anzoategui state, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday. Two other deaths, both of health professionals in the state of Barinas, are unconnected to the cases in Anzoategui and still under investigation, the ministry added in a statement, saying they are specific events that do not represent a risk to the health of the community. "This virus is transmitted by rodents in rural and agricultural areas, principally by inhaling particles of urine, feces or saliva in enclosed spaces," the statement said. "There is no scientific evidence of person-to-person transmission in our country." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month it had ended its ...
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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela confirmed on Tuesday that three people died of infections of hantavirus, but stressed there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission in the South American country, which has rarely reported cases of the rodent-borne disease in humans. The Health Ministry said hantavirus was also suspected in the deaths of two health workers in the southwestern state of Barinas. Those cases remain under investigation and were not linked to the three fatalities in the eastern state of Anzoátegui, about 655 kilometers (407 miles) away. Both states were spared the worst of the back-to-back major earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela earlier this month. The ministry described the deaths in Anzoátegui and Barinas as isolated incidents that "do not represent a risk to ...
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The rodent-borne virus, which sickened passengers on the MV Hondius, killed three people, led to a race to find its origin and a global health alert.
The reported illnesses this spring initially looked like the spread of a typical stomach bug on a luxury ocean liner, but the situation quickly escalated to a fatal outbreak of hantavirus, a rare rodent-borne pathogen, leading to weekslong quarantines for the ship's passengers and a global health alert.
But the outbreak is now over, the World Heal
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All Canadians who were exposed to the Andes hantavirus earlier this year linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have finished their self-isolation period, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada said on social media Monday.
Four Canadians were presumed to have been exposed to the rare virus aboard the luxury ship and immediately went into isolation upon returning to Canada May 10.
One of them, a traveller from the Yukon, subsequently tested positive for the virus, but fully recovered
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Health Canada says 34 Canadians who may have had exposure to Andes hantavirus related to the MV Hondius cruise ship have now completed their self-isolation and monitoring period. The one remaining contact and the recovered case in Canada are slated to complete their self-isolation period on June 26. B.C. health officials have said that the sole Canadian who fell ill with hantavirus recovered as of June 9. The confirmed case marked the first incident of Andes hantavirus being detected in Canada. Nine Canadians located in Ontario, Alberta and B.C. were deemed to have experienced "high risk exposure" and were directed to self-isolate. These Canadians were either passengers on the MV Hondius or had close contact with someone infected with hantavirus on a flight. Another 26 people across Canada...
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Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the international response to the recent Hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship has brought the world closer to ending the health emergency.
According to him, the number of cases has remained unchanged while the majority of contacts identified across several countries have successfully completed their monitoring period.
Dr Tedros made the remarks in a social media post on Tuesday, June 23, while pr
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No cases associated with the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship have been confirmed in the U.S., health officials said.
Quarantine was lifted on Sunday for American passengers of a cruise ship that was hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The passengers had been held for weeks at a federal facility in Nebraska.
The day marks a return to day-to-day life for all 18 passengers, including the six who had stayed at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center until t
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There were 12 confirmed and one probable hantavirus case stemming from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, including three deaths.
GENEVA - Almost all the passengers and crew of the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak who had to quarantine in the Netherlands are now allowed to return home, the WHO chief said on June 18.
There were 12 confirmed and one probable case stemming from the MV Hondius, including three deaths, in an outbreak that sparked an international health alert.
The Dutch-f
📰 26 news sources reporting on this story.
Geneva (AFP) - Almost all the passengers and crew of the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak who had to quarantine in the Netherlands are now allowed to return home, the WHO chief said Thursday.
There were 12 confirmed and one probable case stemming from the MV Hondius, including three deaths, in an outbreak which sparked an internatonal health alert.
The Dutch-flagged ship set off April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina, taking in remote islands in the South Atlantic Ocean before heading n
📰 21 news sources reporting on this story.
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View WHO Resources →Disease information on Virus Watcher is reviewed by our Chief Epidemiologist, a former CDC lead analyst for FluSight forecasting. Outbreak data is aggregated from verified sources including BEACON, ProMED, WHO, CDC, and 50+ national health agencies. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical advice.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-17
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