What are the early symptoms of hantavirus?

Fever, severe muscle aches (especially thighs and back), headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, typically 1 to 8 weeks after exposure.

How do you catch hantavirus?

Most people get hantavirus by breathing aerosolized particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The Andes strain can also spread person to person in close contact.

Is the 2026 outbreak the Andes strain?

Yes. The 2026 cluster reported in Argentina, including the MV Hondius cases, involves the Andes virus, which is unique among hantaviruses for documented person-to-person transmission.

Is there a vaccine for hantavirus?

No vaccine is approved in the U.S. or Europe. Vaccines for the Hantaan and Seoul strains exist in South Korea and China but are not used for Andes or Sin Nombre.

How is hantavirus treated?

There is no specific antiviral cure. Care is supportive: oxygen, IV fluids, intensive monitoring, and ECMO for severe lung failure. Early hospitalization improves outcomes.

What is the survival rate?

HPS has a case-fatality rate of about 35-40%. HFRS ranges from under 1% to 15% depending on strain and care quality.

Tracking the 2026 Andes outbreak · Updated today

Clear, sourced answers about hantavirus.

HantaFAQs.com is an independent resource hub answering the questions people are actually searching right now — symptoms, transmission, the 2026 Andes strain outbreak, prevention, and treatment.

By the numbers

2026 outbreak at a glance

Updated 25 May 2026

Confirmed cases

2026 MV Hondius cluster

Countries monitoring

Repatriated passengers

HPS case-fatality

Andes & Sin Nombre strains

Days of monitoring

CDC quarantine protocol

Newsroom

Latest updates

24 May 2026 · ArgentinaNew
Argentina lifts outbound health screening for Patagonia after 14 days with no new cases
Ministry of Health says active transmission appears contained; surveillance continues at hospitals and ports.
Outbreak timeline
22 May 2026 · Spain
Spain allows MV Hondius contacts to finish 14-day monitoring at home after negative tests
Health ministry shifts policy as no new infections appear among repatriated passengers.
Live news feed
19 May 2026 · CDC
CDC: 18 U.S. passengers under 42-day monitoring at the Nebraska Quarantine Unit
Risk to the U.S. public assessed as "extremely low." No domestically acquired cases.
Full timeline
11 May 2026 · ANLIS-Malbrán
Genetic sequencing confirms Andes strain — no mutations of concern
Argentina ships diagnostic reagents to Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands and UK.
About Andes virus

FAQ

Most searched questions

The top hantavirus questions people are asking right now.

Browse the full FAQ

The hub

Explore the resource hub

What is Hantavirus?

Overview, virus types, and history.

Symptoms

Early vs late, by strain (HPS / HFRS).

How It Spreads

Rodents, droppings, and the Andes strain exception.

2026 Outbreak

MV Hondius / Argentina cruise ship updates.

Prevention

Cleaning, rodent control, travel safety.

Diagnosis & Treatment

What doctors do — supportive care only.

Why trust us

Built for clarity, sourced from authorities

Sources we cite

CDC, WHO, PAHO, NIH, ECDC, Argentina Ministry of Health, and peer-reviewed virology research.

Editorial review

Content reviewed by the HantaFAQs editorial team. Last reviewed May 2026. We update pages as new public-health guidance is released.

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