American tests positive for hantavirus, another is symptomatic, HHS says

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]And one American passenger evacuated from the haunt virus hit cruise ship has tested positive for the virus while officials say another is displaying mild symptoms. Thanks for staying up late with us for Eyewitness News at 11. I'm Liz Ngi >> and I'm Jory Ran. Three people have already died after being infected with the Honda virus aboard that luxury cruise liner. And as Eyewitness News reporter Tim Pullium explains, that plane is now carrying the 17 American passengers less than an hour away now from touching down in the US with a positive case on board.

[00:00:31]As 17 Americans and one British national at the center of the Hunter virus surge head to the US, health leaders confirm one of them has tested positive for the virus. Health and Human Services say the person doesn't have any symptoms, but the agency reports a second passenger is showing signs of sickness. According to HHS, both individuals have been separated from the other passengers during the flight to Nebraska, where they will be isolated from the remaining passengers who will be monitored at a quarantine unit. Three people have died from the virus. One of them, a 17-year-old Dutch national. Authorities believe the first victims contracted the virus from rodents while visiting the southern tip of South America.

[00:01:13]>> Yes, we know that the that the first passengers the first cases did travel to those regions. We just don't know which specific ones.

[00:01:21]>> Health experts say h virus is difficult to transmit from person to person.

[00:01:26]>> The average person has no reason to worry. The uh this and haunt virus has spread in limited amount from human to human. Uh we do uh know about these clusters but we have seen no evidence of anything but needing close contact for this to happen. This is not co health officials are watching at least nine Americans across six states. Arizona, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, and here in California for possible exposure to a person with the virus.

[00:01:53]None have shown symptoms which can include fever, aches, or nausea. But there are growing questions on whether the CDC will properly manage the outbreak. the AY's acting director pushing back on those concerns.

[00:02:06]>> They didn't see what the CD's been doing, CDC has been doing, right? So, we are in touch with the WHO. We're in touch with the uh the the international organiz uh international health organizations.

[00:02:15]>> For context, President Trump withdrew the US from the World Health Organization on the first day of his second term and has since laid off some 2400 CDC workers. Over the last year, the agency has gone through three interim directors since Trump fired the permanent leader after just over one month on the job. On Monday morning, health leaders will provide an update on those 18 passengers after they arrived to that medical center in Nebraska. Tim Poleium, ABC7 Eyewitness News.