Five Americans Quarantined for Hantavirus Return Home After Quarantine in Nebraska

Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska announced on June 2, 2026, that five U.S. citizens who were quarantined in Nebraska after exposure to hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship are returning home. Eighteen individuals from the cruise were brought to the U.S. in May for monitoring due to a hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship. Sixteen were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit, while two were sent to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The five individuals in Nebraska have completed their 42-day quarantine period and are now authorized to continue their recovery at home. Governor Pillen stated that this decision was made in coordination with health authorities and emphasized that no individual posing a public health risk would leave the quarantine unit in an unsecured manner. Hantavirus, which is associated with rodents in South America, has a high fatality rate, but public health officials have indicated that the risk to the U.S. population remains low. The May outbreak resulted in 13 confirmed or probable cases globally, including three deaths. One American on the ship, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, initially tested positive for hantavirus but later tested negative, indicating a false positive result.