Hantavirus in California: What to know after another person exposed to virus
A fifth Californian was exposed to the hantavirus outbreak that began on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Health officials previously reported four previous cases of exposure involving California residents: two involving Santa Clara County residents and two involving Sacramento County residents.
Two of those people are back in California, though both are asymptomatic. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low, but they’re monitoring the situation closely given the seriousness of the disease.
The fifth person linked to the hantavirus outbreak left the MV Hondius cruise ship before the outbreak was identified, returned briefly to California and left for additional travel, the department said.
As of Thursday, May 14, the passenger was in the Pitcairn Islands, a British territory in the South Pacific Ocean.
Health officials said the person is asymptomatic and being monitored by British officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The California Department of Public Health did not say where in California the cruise ship passenger lives.
Here are key takeaways:
- Three passengers have died and 11 total cases have been identified in a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship that left Argentina about a month ago and is now headed to the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
- The World Health Organization confirmed May 4 that the Andes strain is behind the cruise ship outbreak — the only known hantavirus variant capable of spreading from human to human after initial infection through close and prolonged contact.
- Hantaviruses are carried in North America by deer mice and other rodents.
- They’re spread primarily when droppings, urine or saliva get kicked into the air and inhaled — such as when sweeping up mouse droppings.
- Most U.S. hantavirus cases have occurred in California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. A Placer County man died of hantavirus in 2018.
- Early symptoms can resemble influenza or pneumonia, including fever, chills, headaches and muscle aches, but more serious symptoms such as shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs can set in within four to 10 days.
- To prevent infection, the California Department of Public Health advises keeping rodents out of homes and cleaning droppings with bleach or disinfectant while wearing gloves. Sweeping or vacuuming can stir contaminated materials into the air.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 3:39 PM.
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