Experts Reassure New Orleans Cruise Travelers on Hantavirus Risk

Health experts are advising travelers booked on New Orleans cruise departures not to cancel plans over a rare hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, while cruise lines operating in the city add precautions such as social distancing and reduced capacity in public areas. The outbreak, tied to an Oceanwide Expeditions vessel that departed Argentina in April, has killed three people. Health officials are monitoring potentially exposed travelers in the United States.

The Andes hantavirus involved in the Hondius outbreak is normally linked to rodent exposure, not the routine respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses that ships more commonly manage in close quarters. U.S. officials said 41 people were being monitored in the United States in mid-May, with no confirmed domestic cases tied to the outbreak.

New Orleans cruise travelers advised to use routine precautions

“There’s only been about 900 cases since we’ve been tracking it since 1993, so not necessary to cancel any future plans,” said Dr. Courtney Washington.

Washington said travelers should still take basic health precautions onboard, especially because enclosed ship spaces can accelerate the spread of respiratory illnesses. Health experts cited ventilation, handwashing and monitoring for severe flu-like symptoms as practical steps for passengers.

Carnival and Norwegian were among the cruise lines operating in New Orleans that were described as adding safety measures, including social distancing and capacity reductions in public spaces. Royal Caribbean’s passenger FAQ says guests and crew members who become ill during a sailing can be evaluated by ship medical staff through in-stateroom visits or video tele-consultations, with testing available in the onboard medical lab.

CDC data cited for Louisiana lists eight hantavirus cases since 1993, with the most recent reported in 2023. Texas health officials confirmed that two residents were passengers possibly exposed in connection with the Hondius outbreak.

Hondius outbreak remains under international monitoring

The MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged Oceanwide Expeditions vessel, left Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1. The voyage crossed the South Atlantic, and health officials later began tracing passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was identified.

As of May 13, the World Health Organization placed the outbreak at 11 linked hantavirus cases, eight of them laboratory-confirmed. Oceanwide Expeditions CEO Remi Bouysset said the company had been working with the WHO, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and other medical and diplomatic authorities. “From the beginning, our priority was to support those affected,” Bouysset said.

Health officials have stressed that hantavirus is usually acquired through contact with infected rodents, especially by inhaling particles from urine, saliva or droppings. The Andes strain can spread between people in rare circumstances, but specialists have said that typically requires close and prolonged contact with a symptomatic person.

“If you’re going on a plane or a cruise this summer, I would say your risk of getting hantavirus is very close to zero,” said Dr. Jorge Salinas, medical director of infection prevention at Stanford Health Care.

Cruise illness controls remain focused on sanitation and surveillance

The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program applies to cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction and focuses largely on ship sanitation, inspections, design-plan reviews and gastrointestinal illness surveillance.

Cruise outbreaks still occur periodically. CDC data cited by infectious-disease specialists recorded 23 cruise ship outbreaks in 2025, with norovirus identified in 18 of them.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was “no sign we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” while cautioning that additional cases could appear. Health officials may continue daily symptom checks for up to 42 days after possible Andes virus exposure.