[56934] Ministry of Health: No Israelis exposed to Hantavirus on board the MV Hondius ship

Ministry of Health Update: Monitoring of Hantavirus Outbreak

The Israeli Ministry of Health published an official statement today (May 12, 2026) regarding the outbreak of Hantavirus (Andes strain) on board the cruise ship MV Hondius. According to the report by NTD Hebrew News Secondary Channel, as of the latest update, 9 passengers have been diagnosed with symptoms, with 7 cases confirmed by laboratory tests and three deaths reported as a result of the disease.

In the parallel report by Zirat News and in the details provided by NTD News, it was emphasized that the Ministry is conducting an ongoing situation assessment in cooperation with international health agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to current information, "there were no Israelis on the ship, and as of this date, no Israelis have been identified among the contacts of the patients".

The Ministry of Health seeks to reassure the public and notes that Hantavirus, which is usually transmitted from rodents, is rare in human-to-human transmission, and such a scenario has been described in the past only with the Andes strain in cases of particularly close contact.

According to estimates by professional authorities and the Epidemic Treatment Team (TZATAM), the risk of the virus reaching Israel or its widespread dissemination is estimated as "extremely low," due to the nature of the transmission routes and the measures taken by authorities worldwide to contain the spread of the disease.