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Hantavirus live updates: Patient in France presenting 'severe form' of virus

The French patient is "in intensive care in a serious condition."

ByChristopher Watson, Ivan Pereira, Jon Haworth, Mary Kekatos, Nadine El-Bawab, Leah Sarnoff, and Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: May 12, 2026, 3:39 PM EDT

The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has risen to 11, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

Passengers disembarked the cruise ship in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries.

On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; 15 are in the quarantine unit and one person who tested positive is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta for "further assessment and care," officials said.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
May 8, 10:44 am

What is hantavirus and how does it spread?

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

Stock photo of a colorized electron micrograph of the Hantavirus.
Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Lib/STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype from South America, according to the WHO.

Read more about hantavirus here.

May 11, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT

Ship sets sail after evacuating passengers, crew

The MV Hondius cruise ship has set sail from Spain after evacuating passengers and crew from 23 countries, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia said.

"Mission accomplished. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. We continue working to protect public health,” Garcia said.

PHOTO: SPAIN-HEALTH-HANTAVIRUS-ILLNESS-TOURISM
The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images

PHOTO: SPAIN-HEALTH-HANTAVIRUS-ILLNESS-TOURISM
The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona on the island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, May 11, 2026.
Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images

The ship still has "around 30 people, the crew and two health workers, and they will need our support throughout their journey until they reach Rotterdam,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “... We will continue to monitor and support them in any way possible.”

May 11, 2026, 2:28 PM EDT

8 more people in isolation in French hospital, prime minister says

Eight French nationals who shared a flight with a sick person 15 days ago are now in isolation at a hospital in France, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said. None of the eight have symptoms, he said.

Passengers are disembarked from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, May 10, 2026.
Manu Fernandez/AP

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This is in additional to the five French nationals who returned to France on Sunday from the cruise ship and are in isolation at Bichat Hospital in Paris. Four are still testing negative, while the one who tested positive for hantavirus is in intensive care in stable condition, the prime minister said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

May 11, 2026, 1:54 PM EDT

Eligible passengers who opt to go home won't fly commercial: CDC

In the coming days, as the cruise ship passengers decide whether to stay at the University of Nebraska quarantine facility or self-monitor at home, those who opt to go home will not fly on a commercial flight, an official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told ABC News. Passengers who opt to go home will have been assessed by health officials for any signs of illness.

A Spanish passenger is sprayed with disinfectant by Spanish government officials before boarding a plane after disembarking from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at Tenerife airport in the Canary Islands, Spain, May 10, 2026.
AP

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud

May 11, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT

Trump says US in 'good shape,' adding, 'I hope it's fine'

President Donald Trump discussed the hantavirus outbreak on Monday, saying, "We think we're in very good shape. We're very careful."

Civil guard members approach the cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, on a motorboat, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Spain May 11, 2026.
Borja Suarez/Reuters

“It’s been around for a long time," he said of the hantavirus. "People are very familiar with it. So, you know, I hope it's fine."

“All I can do is, everything that a president can do, which is something which is actually somewhat limited,” he continued.

Trump also defended his withdrawal from the World Health Organization earlier this year, saying he is “glad” he made this decision.

“No, I’m glad,” Trump said when asked if he regrets withdrawing from WHO.

“We weren't being treated well, and they were making the wrong diagnoses,” he claimed, later arguing that the organization either “lied” to him or “didn’t know.”

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

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