As announced Thursday, May 14, 2026, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 41 people are currently under monitoring for hantavirus infection. Most are advised to remain at home and avoid contact with others for a 42-day period—the virus’s maximum incubation window.
Three Exposure Groups Identified
According to Dr. David Fitter, CDC’s incident manager for the outbreak, these individuals fall into three main groups. The first includes passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius, where confirmed hantavirus cases were reported. These travelers were recently repatriated and are now in Nebraska and Emory—likely referring to Emory University or Emory Healthcare in Georgia.
The second group consists of other passengers who disembarked from the same vessel before the first cases emerged and have since returned to the United States. The third group comprises people who may have been exposed during flights shared with confirmed hantavirus cases, according to Dr. Fitter, speaking to reporters.