UPDATE: May 22, 2026
The Maryland Department of Health is monitoring three additional Maryland residents who were also on a flight that briefly included a M/V Hondius cruise ship passenger infected with hantavirus. These residents are considered lower risk.
Currently, a total of five Maryland residents are being monitored in accordance with the latest guidance. None of these residents with potential exposures were passengers on the cruise ship. To date, the Department has not been notified of any positive cases of hantavirus in Maryland related to passengers on the M/V Hondius cruise ship. The risk to the public in Maryland continues to be very low.
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May 11, 2026
Media Contact
Amanda Hils, Assistant Director for Media Relations, [email protected]
Maryland Department of Health Monitoring Two Maryland Residents Following Potential Hantavirus Exposure Linked to M/V Hondius Passenger
Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Department of Health is monitoring two Maryland residents who were on a flight that briefly included a M/V Hondius cruise ship passenger infected with hantavirus. Health authorities are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution. At this time, the risk to the public in Maryland remains very low.
The two Maryland residents with potential exposures were not passengers on the cruise ship. The potential exposure occurred during air travel abroad. The Maryland Department of Health will not release additional information about the Maryland residents to protect their privacy.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses carried by rodents and cases are known to occur in the United States. Although most diseases stemming from hantavirus are not known to spread between people, the disease associated with M/V Hondius passengers is the Andes virus found in South America. It is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission, though such transmission is rare and generally requires close, prolonged contact with an infected individual or their bodily fluids. The incubation period ranges from four to 42 days and asymptomatic persons are not considered infectious.
No hantavirus cases have been identified in Maryland since 2019. Andes virus infections have never been reported in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Health is coordinating closely across all levels of government, as well as with leading experts and medical facilities that have Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers.
This is an evolving public health situation. The information provided reflects current knowledge and is subject to change as additional information is confirmed by local, federal and international partners. More information about hantavirus and the outbreak on the M/V Hondius cruise ship is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.
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