Highlights
- Arizona health officials confirmed a second state resident was aboard the MV Hondius during a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three passengers.
- The first Arizona passenger, now confirmed to reside in Maricopa County, has shown no symptoms and is being monitored by county public health officials.
- The second Arizonan is among passengers taken to Nebraska for evaluation and will return to Arizona once transportation is arranged to ensure public safety.
- Three deaths and nine other cases have been confirmed among MV Hondius passengers from the Andes virus strain of hantavirus, according to KTAR.
A second Arizona resident has been confirmed as a passenger aboard the MV Hondius during a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people, the Arizona Department of Health Services announced Tuesday, as reported by KTAR and corroborated by the BBC and The Guardian.
The first Arizona passenger, whose return was announced May 8, is now confirmed to reside in Maricopa County and is being monitored by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. That person has not shown any symptoms of hantavirus. The second Arizonan is among a group of passengers taken to Nebraska for evaluation and will return to Arizona after assessment and transportation arrangements are made to ensure public safety. Local health officials will monitor that person for symptoms upon return.
Testing cannot confirm a hantavirus case without signs of illness because it is not effective in asymptomatic individuals. Symptoms can take more than a month after exposure to appear, requiring regular health checks.
Overall, three deaths and nine other cases have been confirmed among MV Hondius passengers. The outbreak involves the Andes virus strain of hantavirus, which the Centers for Disease Control says typically spreads through rodents in South America and is the only type of hantavirus that can spread from person to person, though transmission requires close contact.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health is expected to continue regular monitoring of the first returned passenger as the incubation window remains open.
Around the web
Modest discussion in r/phoenix and r/arizona; readers acknowledging Arizona's involvement in the outbreak monitoring.
Public discussion (links to original posts):
- Reddit · r/phoenix, u/Constant-Cake-4318 (579 upvotes · 157 comments)
- Reddit · r/arizona, u/OakTeach (94 upvotes · 23 comments)
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- ktar.com retrieved 13/05/2026 15:45
- bbc.com retrieved 13/05/2026 15:45
- theguardian.com retrieved 13/05/2026 15:45
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 13/05/2026 15:45. Every claim traces to a source.
