AUSTIN, Texas — Texas health officials confirmed Thursday that two Texas residents were aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship during a hantavirus outbreak in the Atlantic, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
State officials said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified them of the two individuals. They did not disclose where in Texas the residents live.
Health officials said both individuals had already left the ship and returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified. They reported no symptoms of hantavirus and have not been identified as having contact with infected passengers.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said it has contacted both residents, who agreed to self-monitor for symptoms and conduct regular temperature checks.
The confirmation comes as international health authorities investigate a hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, which has resulted in multiple infections and deaths among passengers on an expedition cruise that traveled from Argentina toward Antarctica and across the Atlantic.
The World Health Organization said five confirmed and three suspected cases have been reported, including three deaths. One additional passenger remains hospitalized in South Africa.
Health authorities in multiple countries are conducting contact tracing for passengers who disembarked at various stops, including Cape Verde and St. Helena.
According to the WHO, the strain involved is the Andes virus, which can be transmitted from rodents and, in rare cases, between humans.
The cruise operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said passengers and crew were placed in isolation after the outbreak was identified. The ship is currently en route to the Canary Islands, where authorities are preparing for its arrival.
Health officials said the risk to the general public remains low but emphasized continued monitoring due to the virus’ incubation period, which can last up to six weeks.
Hantavirus can cause severe respiratory illness, and no specific treatment or vaccine is available, according to public health authorities.
