What to know about hantavirus

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 7, 2025, and has been updated to reflect the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on March 7, 2025, and has been updated to reflect the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.

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The virus that is believed to be responsible for the deaths of three people and the illnesses of three others aboard a cruise ship over the weekend is a relatively rare but devastating threat without a vaccine, treatment or cure.

Hantaviruses, a family of pathogens, are spread by rodents, mostly mice, and excreted in the animals’ saliva, droppings and urine.