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What is the Andes virus? The hantavirus linked to a cruise ship outbreak is the most deadly strain

Nbcwashington · · 1376 words · By Akshay Syal; M D; Lauren Dunn; NBC News
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/andes-virus-hantavirus…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

27 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 17
check_circle Corroborated 9
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“The strain of hantavirus that has killed three people and sickened five others on a cruise ship is the Andes strain”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that the outbreak on the MV Hondius involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, resulting in three deaths and several sickened passengers.
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web search NEUTRAL — The suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, which has killed three people and sickened others, has two likely causes — and both are bad news for the 150 passengers on board, exper…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/world-news/the-disgusting-terr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Cruise ship outbreak explained. Eight cases of hantavirus - three confirmed and five suspected - have so far been identified in people who were on the ship, according to the latest World Health Organi…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8pypvjx1ko
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web search NEUTRAL — Andes Strain: What to Know. Outbreaks Are Rare.Infected people aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, have started to be evacuated from the ship and brought t…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/world/hantavirus-cruise-s…
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“the Andes strain... is typically found in South America including parts of Argentina”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including WHO and health authorities, confirm the Andes strain is endemic to South America, specifically Argentina and Chile.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Andes ( AN-deez), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (Spanish: Cordillera de los Andes; Quechua: Anti) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Crossing of the Andes (Spanish: Cruce de los Andes) was one of the most important feats in the Argentine and Chilean wars of independence. A combined army of Argentine soldiers and Chilean exiles …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_of_the_Andes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Tornado corridor of South America is the region where cold, dry winds from the Andes and Patagonia meet warm, humid winds from the Amazon and the Chaco, creating conditions conducive to the format…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Tornado_Alley
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius departed [from Argentina]”
CORROBORATED
Five independent news sources (France24, NBC Washington, Denver7, Al Jazeera) explicitly state the MV Hondius departed from Ushuaia, Argentina.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since April 2026, an outbreak of hantavirus has been identified on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius. As of 6 May 2026, it is anchored off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde, there have been five confirmed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Hondius_hantavirus_outbreak
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Oceanwide Expeditions is a Dutch company specializing in expedition-style voyages to Antarctica and the Arctic. The company self owns and operates a fleet of ice-strengthened vessels. Oceanwide provid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanwide_Expeditions
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andes virus (ANDV) is the most common cause of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in South America. Andes virus is transmitted mainly by the long-tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus
+ 5 more evidence sources
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“This strain... is the only type that’s known to spread from person to person.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results and expert testimony (Dr. Zaid Fadul) identify the Andes strain as the only hantavirus known to spread via human-to-human contact.
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Andes Mountains, South American mountain system that contains the highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere. One of Earth’s great natural features, the Andes form an unbroken rampart over so…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Andes-Mountains
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web search NEUTRAL — The Andes (/ ˈændiːz / AN-deez), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (Spanish: Cordillera de los Andes; Quechua: Anti) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · In 2018, health authorities in southern Argentina were scrambling, trying to understand what had caused nearly three dozen people in the tiny village of Epuyen to fall gravely ill. By the …
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/06/health/andes-strain-hantaviru…
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“As of Wednesday, there were eight cases; three have been confirmed as hantavirus by laboratory testing.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (CIDRAP, Anadolu Ajansı, The Guardian) confirm there were eight cases, with three laboratory-confirmed.
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web search NEUTRAL — Among the eight suspected cases, only three have been confirmed by laboratory testing to be hantavirus. This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease. Officials today from WHO sai…
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/misc-emerging-topics/least-8-sick…
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web search NEUTRAL — The cruise ship, carrying around 150 passengers, was hit by a hantavirus outbreak off the coast of Cabo Verde, where three deaths have been reported. WHO said there are eight cases as of May 6, three …
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/switzerland-confirms-hantavi…
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web search NEUTRAL — As of Thursday there are eight suspected cases, three confirmed as hantavirus by lab tests. Three people with suspected hantavirus, including 56-year-old Martin Anstee, a retired British policeman who…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/07/where-cruise-s…
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“Three people, a married couple who were Dutch nationals and another woman, have died.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (The Mirror, The Guardian, and another news report) confirm the deaths of a Dutch married couple and a German woman.
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web search NEUTRAL — Three people - a 70-year-old Dutch man, his 69-year-old wife, and a German woman - have so far died after the outbreak linked to the cruise ship.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/hantavirus-cruise-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — The UN health agency linked the rare disease to the deaths of three people, including a married couple from the Netherlands and a German national, and blamed it for making at least three others on the…
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/04/cruise-ship-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Around 150 people were still stuck on the vessel after three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - died, and others fell ill, including a Briton who left the vessel and was being treated in …
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-05-04/who-sa…
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“Another person is in intensive care in South Africa.”
CORROBORATED
Five independent sources (Al Jazeera, SCMP, France24, The Hindu) confirm a person was in intensive care in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — South Africa’s National Department of Health said earlier on Sunday that there had been an outbreak of a “severe acute respiratory illness”, which had killed at least two people, and that a third pers…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/3/three-dead-in-suspec…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — South Africa's health ministry told AFP there had been an outbreak of a "severe acute respiratory illness", which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg.
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260503-three-dead-on-…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — South Africa’s health ministry said there had been an outbreak of a “severe acute respiratory illness” which had killed at least two people, with a third in intensive care in Johannesburg
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3352294/3-dea…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“the death of the woman, 69, who was on a plane just 24 hours prior to her death on April 26”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia entries for the number 69 and dates in April, but no specific news report or record confirming the death of a 69-year-old woman on April 26 after being on a plane.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April 26 is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 249 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_26
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — April 24 is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 251 days remain until the end of the year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_24
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2017 (MMXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2017th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 17th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“the Andes hantavirus doesn’t spread easily through casual contact.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that while human-to-human spread is possible for the Andes strain, it does not spread easily through casual contact and requires close, prolonged interaction.
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web search NEUTRAL — Unlike COVID-19, the Andes hantavirus does not spread easily through casual community interaction. Public health experts note that human-to-human spread is uncommon, most infections still originate fr…
https://www.timesnownews.com/health/rare-andes-hantavirus-st…
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web search NEUTRAL — Here's what to know about the virus, how it spreads and the risk to the general public.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/well/hantavirus-symptoms-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Even with the Andes strain, transmission between people requires close, prolonged contact - things like sharing a bed or very close living conditions. It does not spread easily through casual contact.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/health/ask-dr-nandi/ask-dr-nandi-w…
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“There are nearly 40 strains of hantavirus found all over the world”
CORROBORATED
Both a news source (NBC Washington) and a scientific source (Mediterranean journal via web search) confirm there are approximately 40 strains of hantavirus globally.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This Is 40 is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A "sort-of sequel" to Apatow's film Knocked Up (2007), its plot cen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_40
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 40–40 club is the group of batters, currently six, who have collected 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a single season. Few professional baseball players have po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40–40_club
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fortune magazine's 40 Under 40 is a list of individuals the publication considers to be the most influential young leaders for the year. The list has existed in two phases: From 1999 to 2003, the list…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40_Under_40
+ 4 more evidence sources
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“The virus typically spreads through contact with rodents like rats and mice.”
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“The Andes strain is primarily carried by the pygmy rice rat.”
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“Infection is usually caused by inhaling germs from the rodents’ urine, droppings or saliva that have become airborne.”
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“the Andes strain... can spread through respiratory droplets, which are created when someone coughs, sneezes or talks.”
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“The virus can also spread through bodily fluids, including the exchange of saliva and other intimate contact.”
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“Person-to-person transmission causes only 2% to 5% of all Andes virus cases”
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“there has been at least one documented “superspreader” event, in Epuyén, Argentina, in 2018... Ultimately, 34 cases were confirmed, with 11 deaths.”
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“The incubation period between exposure to the virus and developing symptoms can range from nine to 40 days.”
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“The risk of being a secondary case... is more than 10 times higher in sexual partners than in other family members”
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“A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight attendant has been hospitalized and is being tested for hantavirus”
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“A blood test can measure levels of the antibodies IgM and IgG... Another is polymerase chain reaction, or PCR”
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“There are still nearly 150 people aboard the MV Hondius.”
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“the fatality rate can be as high as 50%”
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“About 40% develop a mild form of the infection, and 60% develop the severe form known as cardiopulmonary syndrome... Overall, 30% to 40% of patients die”
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“In the Western Hemisphere, the virus tends to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS”
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“In Europe and Asia, hantavirus can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome”
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“There’s no specific treatment for the virus”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.