American Passenger #1 (UNMC)

The American patient is a retired oncologist from the Bend area of Oregon. He served as the ship's de-facto head doctor after the official ship physician fell ill with hantavirus, treating passengers for several days while working extended hours. He himself experienced three days of night sweats, chills and mild respiratory symptoms, plus around two and a half weeks of fatigue (the night sweats and breathing problems resolved before his return to the United States). Two ship-board samples processed in Dutch laboratories returned discordant results - one negative, one faintly positive - and confirmatory testing at the Nebraska facility is expected by Friday May 15. He is symptom-free in the biocontainment unit per Dr Angela Hewlett, the unit's medical director: 'doing well,' 'good appetite,' 'very tired, understandably.' The patient himself: 'It is still possible that the test represents an evolving disease, and I will get symptoms down the road. This is why I am in the biocontainment unit.' Sources: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/12/us/hantavirus-cruise-hondius-quarantine-intl-hnk ; https://www.kptv.com/2026/05/13/oregon-doctor-cruise-ship-tested-positive-hantavirus-isolating-biocontainment-unit/ ; https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2026/05/11/16-u-s-citizens-safely-repatriated-to-unmc-nebraska-medicine/

Reuters/Al Jazeera report the passenger tested mildly positive with mild symptoms while aboard the Sunday May 10 State Department repatriation flight from Tenerife, and was transported in the aircrafts onboard biocontainment unit as a precaution. On arrival in Omaha early May 11 he was admitted to UNMC Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (a hospital-based care space, distinct from the Davis Global Center National Quarantine Unit housing the 15 asymptomatic repatriates); Dr. Angela Hewlett said he currently does not have any symptoms and has a good appetite, although he is very tired, with monitoring possible for up to 42 days. HHS confirmed him as the first US hantavirus case linked to the MV Hondius cluster; he is reported as male but no further demographics have been released

• aljazeera.com
• unmc.edu
• nebraskapublicmedia.org

First US confirmed case in the MV Hondius cluster (assigned code MVH-010). Identified after testing "mildly" positive on the State Department repatriation flight from Tenerife to Omaha, May 10-11. Confirmed at UNMC's Nebraska Biocontainment Unit on arrival May 11. Travel: Boarded MV Hondius at Ushuaia, Argentina, April 1, 2026 for the 33-day Atlantic Odyssey expedition

Ushuaia → Antarctic Peninsula → South Georgia → Nightingale Island → Tristan da Cunha → Saint Helena → Ascension Island → Praia, Cape Verde (scheduled end May 4). Ship diverted from Cape Verde to Granadilla port, Tenerife, May 5-10 following the hantavirus declaration. Disembarked at Granadilla port Tenerife May 10 ~05:30 local. State Department airlift departed Tenerife, landed Offutt AFB Omaha 02:30 ET May 11; transported to UNMC Biocontainment Unit by 06:15 ET. Exposure: Most likely ship-acquired via close-contact secondary transmission from one or more of the original Atlantic Odyssey index cases (per WHO investigation tracing primary exposure to Argentinian landfill rodent contact during a pre-boarding bird-watching outing in Ushuaia by Dutch ornithologist Patient Zero). MVH-010 itself was not the index — exposure during 33 days of close-contact aboard ship. Current condition (per UNMC officials, May 11): "doing well, no symptoms, very tired" after long journey. Asymptomatic positive. Sole patient in Nebraska Biocontainment Unit; 15 other Americans from same flight in UNMC's National Quarantine Unit (separate adjacent facility, not biocontainment) for case-by-case monitoring. Each patient has their own room. UNMC team coordinating with CDC for daily clinical assessments and 42-day surveillance per CDC protocol. Companions: Per CBS/AP reporting, 1 asymptomatic American national aboard is identified as "partner of patient" — that individual is among the 15 in the UNMC Quarantine Unit (not biocontainment) under contact-monitoring status. Demographics handling: per project anonymization conventions, age and identifying details kept to ranges; no real name. Display label "American Passenger #1 (UNMC)" stable. Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cruise-ship-stricken-by-hantavirus-reaches-canary-islands/, https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/cruise-passenger-who-arrived-in-omaha-has-tested-positive-for-hantavirus/, https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2026/05/10/nebraska-medicine-unmc-asked-to-monitor-u-s-citizens-from-cruise-ship-hantavirus-outbreak/, https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/11/us/live-news/hantavirus-cruise-outbreak, https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/hantavirus-live-updates-mv-hondius-canary-islands/?id=132746955