Washington, D.C., May 11, 2026 (PAHO) — In response to growing public interest generated by the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome outbreak associated with the MV Hondius cruise ship, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) held a live question-and-answer session last Friday, May 8, with three of its experts.
The broadcast sought to clarify questions about the actual risks posed by the disease, including its transmission, symptoms, treatment and prevention measures, amid international media attention and the uncertainty and anxiety generated by the outbreak.
Although the current focus is on the outbreak linked to the cruise ship’s passengers and crew, PAHO reminded the public that hantavirus is not a new disease in the Americas. On Dec. 19, 2025, the Organization issued an epidemiological alert following an increase in cases reported that year through epidemiological week 47 (November 22), which reached 229 confirmed cases and 59 deaths in eight countries, mainly in the Southern Cone.
In 2026, according to preliminary country reports through epidemiological week 15 (April 18), 94 cases and 13 deaths have been reported. Chile has recorded 38 cases and 13 deaths, Argentina 32 cases, Bolivia 11, Brazil 3, Panama 8 and Paraguay 2. These are primarily sporadic cases in endemic areas, and not all are associated with the Andes virus, which is found mainly in Argentina and Chile.
Key messages from the experts
During the session, the experts emphasized that this event does not represent the beginning of a new pandemic.
Andrea Vicari, chief of the Infectious Threat Management Unit, reiterated that the risk to the general population is low and that the current outbreak involving the Andes hantavirus remains largely limited to people who were aboard the cruise ship and their close contacts.
Regarding travelers in general, he noted that there is no increased risk for the average tourist or business traveler visiting major cities in the Americas. The risk arises mainly from specific activities such as ecotourism in rural areas or occupations involving environmental exposure — for example, rural workers or road construction workers in the Southern Cone — and possible contact with rodents.
Jairo Méndez Rico, PAHO adviser on viral diseases, explained that hantaviruses are zoonotic — meaning they originate in animals and are transmitted to humans — and that their main reservoir consists of specific rodent species. These viruses are primarily transmitted through inhalation of particles from the excreta (urine, feces and saliva) of infected rodents. The Andes virus, present in South America (Argentina and Chile), is the only hantavirus shown to have limited person-to-person transmission, which requires very close and prolonged contact in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation.
Ángel Rodríguez Mondragón, PAHO adviser on clinical management, said the initial symptoms are nonspecific — fever, malaise, headache and nausea — but that the onset of respiratory distress is a warning sign requiring immediate medical attention. There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine; management is supportive, and patients should be treated in intensive care units.
PAHO continues to work with its Member States to strengthen surveillance, timely diagnosis, clinical management, infection prevention and control, and preparedness for this and other zoonotic diseases.
