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Hantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak

The deadly outbreak at sea may offer clues to how Andes hantavirus spreads from human to human

A small white boat pulls away from the black hull of a ship on which the name Hondius is visible in white letters. Eight people in blue medical garb with white showercaps on their heads and wearing N95 masks sit in the back of the boat. A person in a full body white suit including a hood and N95 mask is standing at the front left bow while another person in full white protective gear is in the cabin. These are American citizens being evacuated from a cruise ship after an Andes hantavirus outbreak onboard.

American citizens (in blue) are evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship on May 10 in Tenerife, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, after an outbreak of Andes hantavirus sickened about a dozen passengers or crew and killed three passengers.

Chris McGrath/Staff/Getty Images News

By Tina Hesman Saey

This is a human-written story voiced by AI.