10 News’ “What’s Going Around” looks at trending health topics and local respiratory virus data in the Roanoke region and across Virginia. Thanks to a partnership with Johns Hopkins University and the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation, the station can show localized disease data for the community.
Federal health officials are still monitoring the hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship. So far, three people have died. As of May 19, the CDC has not confirmed any U.S. cases of the Andes virus strain connected to this outbreak. The risk of a pandemic and the overall risk to the American public remains extremely low.
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Two Virginia residents identified by the Virginia Department of Health were recently reported to have been on the same flight as a symptomatic case patient, but were seated outside the highest-risk area. Both are currently under public health monitoring, though their exposure is considered lower risk.
In Maryland, two residents are also being monitored after brief contact with an infected passenger during international air travel, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security. No illness has been reported in either state as of the latest update.
What to know about hantavirus in the U.S.
While the MV Hondius outbreak has drawn significant attention, hantavirus is not new to the United States.
Between 1993 and 2023, a total of 890 hantavirus cases were reported in the country. This makes hantavirus infection extremely rare, even in areas with higher risk of interacting with carrier rodents, according to John Hopkins officials.
About 94 percent of those cases occurred west of the Mississippi River. Surveillance began and is primarily concentrated in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, which includes Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
In Virginia, the risk of contracting hantavirus is very low. Only one case has been recorded in Virginia since 1993 and information is not available on whether that person was a locally acquired case or had recent travel to higher-risk areas.
Two recent cases serve as a reminder that hantavirus does occur in the U.S. independently of the cruise ship outbreak. Last week, the Colorado Department of Public Health recorded the state’s first hantavirus death since 2024, according to the Colorado Sun. Health officials say that case shows no apparent connection to the MV Hondius, and preliminary findings point to exposure to rodents or rodent droppings as the likely cause, according to John Hopkins officials.
Additionally, in 2025, Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to NBC News. She passed away one week after her husband, actor Gene Hackman, died. Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, NBC News reported.
Four rodent species in the United States are known to carry hantavirus: the deer mouse, which is the primary carrier, the cotton rat, the rice rat, and the white-footed mouse.
It is worth noting that the rodents carrying the Andes virus strain specifically are not found in the United States. Other hantavirus strains do circulate in the U.S. and can be contracted through contact with local rodent populations, but those strains do not commonly spread between people.
For most people, personal hantavirus risk comes down to how often someone comes into contact with rodents or their droppings, not simply being outdoors or traveling. Anyone with no connection to the MV Hondius or its passengers should know that everyday activities like hiking, camping and travel carry very little hantavirus risk.
How to protect yourself
Keeping rodents out of living spaces is the most effective step anyone can take to reduce hantavirus exposure.
Sealing gaps or holes in homes and garages, using traps when rodent activity is suspected and securing food in rodent-proof containers all help reduce the chance of contact.
If cleaning a space where rodents have been active, such as a garage, shed or basement, avoid using a broom or vacuum. Dry sweeping stirs up particles that can be inhaled. Instead, dampen the area first with a disinfectant or diluted bleach solution, then clean with a mop or sponge. Also washing hands thoroughly after any contact with rodents or droppings is also strongly recommended.