The Local Girl 
Hantavirus has been making headlines this week, and now the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) says it is monitoring two New Jersey residents who were potentially exposed to a person who tested positive for the virus. The possible contact occurred during air travel and did not take place on the cruise ship MV Hondius, to which at least three confirmed cases have been linked. Read on for more about the hantavirus and what the NJ DOH recommends.
What We Know
According to the Centers for Disease Control, hantavirus is a serious disease that is spread through close contact with infected rodents. It has a long incubation period and can cause serious lung or kidney issues, which can be potentially life-threatening. There is no specific treatment for patients other than supportive care.
According to the Associated Press, a 70-year-old passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship started displaying symptoms on April 6th and died on the ship on April 11th. On April 24th, his body was removed from the ship, and over two dozen passengers disembarked and traveled home. Another passenger who contracted the virus died on April 26th, and another passenger still on the ship started exhibiting symptoms on April 27th.
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By May 2nd, South African health authorities had confirmed the hantavirus, and on May 3rd, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it was responding the disease on the MV Hondius. As of May 7th, the WHO said that eight cases have been reported in total, and three deaths, linked to the hantavirus.
While person-to-person transmission is rare, physicians believe that several patients on the MV Hondius did get the disease through person-to-person transmission, per NBC News. Further testing is being done on the virus itself to understand its origins.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said, “While this is a serious incident, WHO assesses the public health risk as low.” He noted that given the incubation period, “it’s possible that more cases may be reported.”
The American Centers for Disease Control echoed the theory. “At this time, the risk to the American public is extremely low. We urge all Americans aboard the ship to follow the guidance of health officials as we work to bring you home safely,” the Centers for Disease Control said, in confirming the disease.
On May 8th, 2026, the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that two residents were potentially exposed to the hantavirus during air travel. “The New Jersey residents were not passengers on the cruise ship, and the potential exposure occurred during air travel abroad. The Department is working with local health officials to monitor returning travelers as a precaution. Neither individual is currently reported to have symptoms suggestive of hantavirus. To protect patient privacy, NJDOH will not release residence information or other identifying details. At this time, the risk to the general public in New Jersey remains very low. No current hantavirus cases have been identified in the state, and there is no history of a confirmed hantavirus case reported in New Jersey.”
Virologist Rebecca Medina, MHS, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, explained, “When we think about viruses, it’s kind of like a seesaw–it can either be easier to contract and easier on the body or harder to contract and harder on the body. Hantavirus is definitely more difficult to contract, but much more aggressive on the body. To transmit, you would have to be in direct contact with a person’s bodily fluids who has contracted it, as opposed to COVID, where germs can spread through air particles without direct contact. We would not expect Hantavirus to get anywhere close to a pandemic level because it’s not a respiratory infection that is easy to transmit across air particles. If you are worried about contracting infections, practicing good hygiene is always helpful (hand washing, cleaning surfaces, etc) and stay away from others when feeling sick.”
This piece will be updated with more information as it is released.
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