Hantavirus scare in New Jersey: Expert provides details after possible exposure on airplane

Two New Jersey residents may have been exposed to hantavirus while traveling internationally.

Two residents of New Jersey were potentially exposed to hantavirus while traveling internationally, prompting health officials to monitor the situation even as authorities stress that the risk to the public remains low.

Test tubes labelled "Hantavirus positive" in this illustration taken May 7, 2026. (REUTERS)

The exposure involved a traveler infected with the Andes strain of hantavirus who had previously been aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which has been linked to an ongoing outbreak investigation.

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, neither resident has developed symptoms. Officials declined to share further details about the individuals or their flight, citing privacy concerns.

State authorities also noted that New Jersey has never recorded a confirmed hantavirus case.

Cruise ship outbreak

Health officials in multiple countries are now tracing passengers and contacts connected to the MV Hondius after several people left the vessel before the outbreak was identified.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that three individuals in the Netherlands were tested for hantavirus after developing symptoms following contact with an infected passenger on a plane. Two of those tests returned negative, while another remained under review, according to the New York Times.

New Jersey officials did not confirm whether the two residents were seated near the infected traveler or even on the same flight. They only stated that the residents themselves were not passengers on the cruise ship.

Virus is less contagious than COVID-19

Hantavirus is most commonly spread through exposure to infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. However, the Andes strain, the variant linked to the cruise ship outbreak, is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person through prolonged close contact.

Theresa Sweet told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the risk of wider transmission remains low despite concerns surrounding the airplane exposure.

“You really do need close contact,” Sweet said, noting that confirmed infections tied to the cruise outbreak involved individuals such as a physician and a spouse of an infected person.

She added that even in the confined setting of an airplane, a traveler would still face a significantly greater chance of catching COVID-19 than hantavirus from an infected passenger.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms associated with the Andes virus can include fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea, coughing, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and loss of appetite.