As repatriated Americans arrive in Nebraska<\/a> and Atlanta for monitoring of hantavirus symptoms, health officials urge awareness of the virus\u2019s early warning signs.<\/p>\n Eighteen\u00a0American passengers<\/a> from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship sailing around South America are now under medical monitoring as health officials work to contain the rare outbreak that has already claimed three lives.<\/p>\n The evacuated passengers are part of 122 people removed from the ship<\/a>, which was anchored in Spain<\/a>\u2019s Canary Islands. One American has tested mildly positive for the Andes hantavirus strain, while another has mild symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other American passengers who have disembarked the ship are asymptomatic. But for people who do experience the first signs of the virus, the progression can be very deceptive, often mimicking a bad cold before turning severe.<\/p>\n And fears are mounting as an Illinois<\/a> resident who was not on the cruise ship is feared to have contracted hantavirus<\/a>.\u00a0The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said it is investigating a potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County, and the CDC is conducting additional testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is believed the man in Illinois contracted the virus by coming into contact with rodent droppings while cleaning a home, the IDPH said, which is the typical cause of hantavirus exposure.\u00a0<\/p>\n The CDC cautioned that its test results for the man’s condition could take up to 10 days, and he will remain under strict observation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hantaviruses typically cause symptoms one to eight weeks after exposure to infected rodents, according to the CDC<\/a>. The Andes virus identified in the cruise ship outbreak is the only known strain capable of causing human-to-human transmission.<\/p>\n A man in Illinois is feared to have contracted hantavirus despite not being on the MV Hondius cruise ship linked to a recent outbreak across the globe. Health officials in Tenerife, where the cruise ship docked, are pictured\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Passengers evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak, walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, May 12<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/05\/13\/13\/108575599-15811399-A_man_in_Illinois_is_feared_to_have_contracted_hantavirus_despit-a-10_1778676832039.jpg\")
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