People get hantavirus by inhaling aerosolised particles from infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, most commonly when disturbing dust in rodent-infested enclosed spaces.
People get hantavirus by inhaling aerosolised particles from infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, most commonly when disturbing dust in rodent-infested enclosed spaces.
Less common exposure routes include direct contact with rodent material, rodent bites, and — in the case of Andes virus — close contact with an infected person. Hantaviruses do not spread through casual contact, surfaces, water, or food in developed-country supply chains.
This answer is based on WHO Disease Outbreak News (DON599, DON600), the CDC's hantavirus clinical overview, ECDC technical assessments, and peer-reviewed Andes virus literature including the Epuyén cluster studies.
For the live 2026 outbreak picture, see the MV Hondius tracker.
→ See the live MV Hondius tracker, full timeline, and 15 hantavirus news sourcesIt applies to both the current cluster and the broader hantavirus epidemiology. The MV Hondius cluster involves the Andes virus strain, which is the only hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission.
WHO's Disease Outbreak News DON600 (May 8) and the Director-General's May 9 message to the people of Tenerife are the most up-to-date official sources. Hanta Hub aggregates these on the main tracker.
Hanta Hub refreshes the outbreak data and source list daily during the active MV Hondius cluster, with a scheduled automated update each morning.