Where is hantavirus in the US? North vs. South America – Researchers Identify Three Emerging ‘Hotspots’ | Today’s news
The United States (US) has not reported any hantavirus cases associated with the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak. However, the country may witness the emergence of new hantavirus hotspots.
By the end of 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 890 cases of hantavirus disease had been reported in the US since surveillance began in 1993.
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According to a map shared by the CDC, the distribution of hantavirus cases in the United States from 1993 to 2023 by state was as follows:
Most hantavirus cases have occurred in the West, with Colorado and New Mexico reporting 121 and 129 cases, respectively. As many as 92 cases have been reported in Arizona, 79 in California and 61 in Washington.
By contrast, Virginia—one of the hot spots found in Escobar’s research—reported only two cases, one in 1993 and the other in 2021.
New Hantavirus hotspots
Recent research has identified at least three states that are emerging as hotbeds of hantavirus in the US.
A study published in March 2025 in the journal Ecosphere identified Virginia as one of the emerging hantavirus hotspots in the US. Colorado and Texas followed.
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At the state level, researchers collected the largest number of blood samples in Kansas (2,014 blood samples), Virginia (1,261) and North Dakota (1,144).
Virginia had the highest seroprevalence at 7.9% (n = 99 seropositive samples), followed by Colorado at 5.7% (n = 37) and Texas at 4.8% (n = 19), the study showed.
Seroprevalence is the percentage of people in a population who test positive for specific antibodies in their blood. It measures cumulative exposure to a virus or infectious agent—whether from past infections or vaccinations—and is a key public health tool for tracking the spread of disease.
“Hantavirus seroprevalence showed an uneven spatial distribution, with the highest seroprevalence found in Virginia (7.8%, 99 seropositive samples), Colorado (5.7%, n = 37), and Texas (4.8%, n = 19),” he reported.
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Luis Escobar, an associate professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, was quoted by NBC News as saying, “We’re seeing human cases in states like New Mexico, but if you want to catch an infected rodent, Virginia is emerging as a hot spot.”
Hantavirus in North America versus South America
In North America, rodent-borne hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is predominantly caused by the Sin Nombre virus, which is typically associated with the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatum, the Ecosphere study said.
The study identified 296 seropositive samples from 15 rodent species, including 8 Peromyscus species. They described six new species with seropositive hantavirus samples not previously reported as hantavirus hosts.
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Meanwhile, a Stanford University report claimed that the strains of hantavirus found in North America do not spread from person to person. Someone can get infected from rodents, but that’s where the virus ends.
The Andes virus, found in South America, is different; it is the only documented hantavirus that is occasionally transmitted between humans. The Andean strain of hantavirus that killed the three passengers has not been found in North America.
In 2018, an Andean strain of hantavirus spread through a small village in Argentina. Ultimately, the virus infected 34 people and caused 11 deaths.
Should you be worried?
No. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the risk of MV Hondius outbreaks to the global population is low.
As rare as hantavirus is, it is not to be taken lightly. According to the Stanford report, its death rate is much higher than that of more common viruses such as the flu and COVID-19.
Up to 35 percent of hantavirus cases in the U.S. in recent decades have resulted in death.
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“It definitely affects the lungs,” said Jorge Salinas, MD, medical director of infection prevention at Stanford Health Care.
“But it’s not clear how much of that is the virus attacking lung cells versus our body’s response to the infection,” the expert added.
There are no approved vaccines and no specific antiviral therapy proven to be effective against hantavirus.
Patients who become ill may receive supplemental oxygen; mechanical ventilation; or, in the most severe cases, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs while the body fights the infection.
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Meanwhile, WHO said in a May 15 statement: “To date, a total of 10 cases, including three deaths, have been reported to WHO, including eight people with laboratory-confirmed Andean virus infection and two probable. No further deaths have been reported since May 2.”
“Due to the long incubation period of up to 6 weeks, additional cases may be reported in the coming days as travelers return to their countries where they are quarantined and tested in specialized facilities or at home,” the WHO added.
“This does not mean that the outbreak is spreading; it shows that control measures are working, that laboratory testing is taking place and that people are being cared for with the support of their governments,” the World Health Organization said.
