PHEIC WATCH · LIVE
PHEIC WATCH · MV Hondius · 7 cases · 3 deaths · Andes strain confirmedWHO DON599 · Risk to global public health: LOWCDC · Four Corners — 14 HPS cases YTD, deer-mouse surge after wet winterPAHO · Americas: 229 cases, 59 deaths across 8 countries in 2025GISAID · 14 Andes virus sequences uploaded · MVH-2026 cladeECDC · Bavaria Puumala · 112 cases · bank-vole population at 5-year highPHEIC WATCH · MV Hondius · 7 cases · 3 deaths · Andes strain confirmedWHO DON599 · Risk to global public health: LOWCDC · Four Corners — 14 HPS cases YTD, deer-mouse surge after wet winterPAHO · Americas: 229 cases, 59 deaths across 8 countries in 2025GISAID · 14 Andes virus sequences uploaded · MVH-2026 cladeECDC · Bavaria Puumala · 112 cases · bank-vole population at 5-year high
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Hantavirus, in an unusual place.

Hantavirus normally spreads from rodents to people — never between humans. On 1 April 2026, an expedition cruise (MV Hondius) left Argentina with 147 people aboard. Three have since died and four are sick. Lab tests confirmed the rare Andes strain, the only hantavirus known to occasionally pass between people in close contact. WHO assesses global public-health risk as LOW.

Read the pillar →MV Hondius live →
Your personal risk
Very low

Based on global default. Run the 60-second self-assessment below to refine for your situation.

Take the 60-second risk check →
What to do if…
●You were on the MV Hondius → Contact your national public health line; monitor symptoms for 45 days.
●Found rodents at home → Don't sweep. Wet-clean with bleach, glove up.
●Flu symptoms + recent rural travel → Tell your doctor about the exposure.
How it spreads
Inhaling aerosolized rodent urine, droppings, or saliva
Incubation
1–8 weeks from exposure to first symptom
Case fatality
Up to 50% for Andes/Sin Nombre · <1% for Puumala
Treatment
No specific antiviral · supportive ICU care, ECMO if severe
Live signals · 15 active outbreaks
CASES TRACKED
2,707
15 countries
CONFIRMED LAB-POSITIVE
2,484
PCR / serology
DEATHS
82
AGGREGATE CFR
3%
weighted, all strains
MVH CLUSTER
7 / 3
cases / deaths
LOADING GLOBE…
ORTHOGRAPHIC · DRAG TO ROTATE · SCROLL TO ZOOM
EVENT LOG · UTCLIVE
14:42:18CONFIRMEDNICD ZA · Andes strain confirmed in MVH index cluster
14:38:02TRANSITMV Hondius position 14.93°N 23.51°W · holding
14:31:55EVACAir ambulance MD-902 wheels up Praia → Frankfurt
14:22:11CASE+CHN-Yunnan: +47 HFRS confirmations posted to ProMED
14:08:43GENOMICGISAID submission · 14 Andes sequences uploaded by Geneva U.
13:57:09ADVISORYUKHSA risk-to-public assessment unchanged: VERY LOW
13:42:30CONTACTFlight DJI-2042 contact tracing initiated · 184 pax
13:18:50PORTCabo Verde port authority denies docking permission #2
12:55:14CASE+DEU-Bavaria: 6 new Puumala admissions · Erlangen Univ.
12:40:01WHODON599 update v3 published · Multi-country, hantavirus
Country watchlist
CountryRiskTrendPop.YTD cases
Argentina AR
92
▲46M42
China CN
78
→1.4B2,140
Chile CL
74
▲19M18
Cabo Verde CV
71
▲600K0
Germany DE
58
▲84M112
Netherlands NL
54
▲17M3
South Africa ZA
51
→60M2
United States US
46
→335M14
Finland FI
38
→5.5M68
Brazil BR
36
▼214M9
United Kingdom GB
34
→67M2
Spain ES
30
▲47M0
Risk score combines case load, trend, reservoir density, healthcare access, and exposure context. See methodology.
60-second risk self-assessment
QUESTION 1 OF 3
Where do you live or recently traveled?
Hantaviruses are geographically clustered to specific rodent reservoirs.
HOW WE SCORE
We add weighted points for three independent risk factors: geography (rodent reservoir presence), direct exposure (contact with droppings/aerosols), and case contact (only meaningful for Andes-strain clusters).
Very low0 pts
Low1–3 pts
Moderate4–6 pts
High7–10 pts
Very high11+ pts
Not medical advice. A score is a triage signal, not a diagnosis. If you're symptomatic, contact a clinician.
Common questions
What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a group of RNA viruses carried by rodents that can cause two human syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia. Most infections occur via inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta.

Is hantavirus contagious between people?

Most hantavirus strains are not transmitted person-to-person. The Andes virus, found in South America, is the only strain with documented human-to-human transmission, and only during close prolonged contact.

What are the early symptoms of hantavirus?

Early symptoms appear 1–8 weeks after exposure and include fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headache, nausea, and abdominal pain. Respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) develop later in HPS; kidney symptoms develop later in HFRS.

How fatal is hantavirus?

Case fatality varies by strain: up to 35–40% for Andes and Sin Nombre virus (HPS), about 5–12% for Hantaan and Dobrava (severe HFRS), and below 1% for Puumala (mild HFRS).

Is there a vaccine for hantavirus?

There is no vaccine licensed in the United States, Europe, or most of the Americas. China and South Korea use bivalent inactivated vaccines against Hantaan and Seoul viruses with high coverage in endemic provinces.

What is the MV Hondius outbreak?

The MV Hondius is an expedition cruise that departed Ushuaia, Argentina on 1 April 2026 with 147 people aboard. By early May 2026 the ship reported 7 cases and 3 deaths from confirmed Andes hantavirus, with 5 of 7 samples PCR-positive at Geneva University.