CDC Adds Details on Hantavirus Outbreak, Including WHO's Response

A recent update to an NPR article on the hantavirus outbreak has added several significant details. The most notable change is the inclusion of a statement from World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who urged residents of Tenerife not to panic, saying 'This is not another COVID-19, The current public health risk from #hantavirus remains low.' This quote provides context to the situation and helps to alleviate public concerns. Additionally, the updated article now includes the fact that three people have died from the virus, and that 20 different nationalities are on board the cruise ship. These changes provide a more comprehensive understanding of the situation and help readers stay informed. The changes do not alter the overall tone of the article, but rather add depth and context to the reporting.

Related Changes

CDC says threat of widespread outbreak of hantavirus remains low +321 -220
By Alana Wise Members of the press report from an expected reception point for passengers from the MV Hondius at the Granadilla Port on May 09, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
− Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday said the agency had deep experience with the Andes strain of the hantavirus, offering assurance to the American public that there was low risk for a widespread outbreak.
+ Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday said the agency had considerable experience with the Andes strain of the hantavirus, offering assurance to the American public that there was low risk of a widespread outbreak.
− The remarks from CDC officials come as headlines about the virus — which broke out aboard a cruise ship last month — have sparked fears of a COVID-like pandemic.
+ The remarks from CDC officials come as headlines about the virus — which broke out aboard a cruise ship last month and has so far led to three deaths — have sparked fears of a COVID-like pandemic.
− Officials speaking to reporters on Saturday stressed that transmission of the virus from person to person was rare and the risk to the American public remains "extremely low." Hantavirus is typically contracted when humans come into contact with rodent urine, saliva or feces.
+ Officials speaking to reporters on Saturday stressed that transmission of the virus from person to person was rare and the risk to the American public remains "extremely low." Early on Sunday morning, the ship, the MV Hondius, arrived at Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa with more than 140 people on board, the Associated Press reported.
− The Andes strain of the virus, however — which is the one currently being monitored aboard the MV Honius cruise ship — can, in rare instances, transmit person to person.
+ It will not dock but small boats will ferry passengers to the island and evacuation flights will then take them on to their home countries. There are about 20 different nationalities on board.
− Three people from the cruise — a Dutch couple and a German woman — have died from the virus.
+ World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged the residents of Tenerife not to panic.
+ This is not another COVID-19," he said in a statement. "The current public health risk from #hantavirus remains low." "At this moment, there are no symptomatic passengers on board," added Ghebreyesus, who is in Tenerife to oversee the transfer. Hantavirus is typically contracted when humans come into contact with rodent urine, saliva or feces. The Andes strain of the virus, however — which is the one currently being monitored aboard the cruise ship — can, in rare instances, transmit person to person. A Dutch couple and a German woman have died from the virus.
The Dutch couple is thought to have come into contact with hantavirus before boarding the ship, during a birdwatching excursion at an Argentine landfill site. More than two dozen American passengers were aboard the ship.
− Seven have already returned to the United States, but 17 more remain onboard, as it approaches the Spanish Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa.
+ Seven have already returned to the United States, but 17 more remain onboard.
Officials said that the seven passengers who are back stateside have been monitored while at their homes and have at no point exhibited any symptoms related to the virus.
− The remaining 17 will eventually be brought back into the country and stationed inside the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where they will also be monitored.
+ The remaining 17 will be brought to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where they will also be monitored.
The CDC officials stressed that the group's time at the unit would not constitute a quarantine, as has been previously reported by CNN. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor