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Two people died aboard the ‘MV Hondius’ cruise after infection with the Andes strain of Hantavirus infection, South Africa confirmed. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said it is the only strain known for human-to-human spread, raising concern. (Nandini, 5/6)

The ship is currently in Cape Verde - three patients, including a 56-year-old from Britain, were evacuated to the Netherlands on Wednesday morning. (5/6)

Jake Rosmarin, who posts videos of his travels to tens of thousands of followers on social media, said in an emotional video posted Monday that he was aboard the MV Hondius, where nearly 150 passengers and crew are isolated due to the outbreak of hantavirus. “I normally wouldn’t make a video like this, but I feel like I need to say something,” he said, adding that “what’s happening right now is very real for all of us here.” (Fonseca, 5/5)

Barely a month ago, they were embarking on a voyage of adventure to some of the world’s most remote islands. Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned. Now they are isolating in their cabins, trapped aboard a ship anchored in the Atlantic, taking what measures they can to shield themselves from an outbreak of a deadly virus. (Humayun, 5/6)

Hantaviruses have most likely been around as long as rodents, but little was known about these pathogens before the 20th century. This rare family of viruses that rodents carry has been cited as the source of a deadly outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans from animals. And while outbreaks have been rare, it is one of the most widely distributed zoonotic viruses on Earth. (Hassan, 5/5)

Driven in part by fears that the frozen landscapes of Antarctica may be irreversibly melting away because of climate change, tourism to the bottom of the world is soaring. And experts warn that with more visitors comes an increased risk of contamination, illness and other damage to the continent. While visitor numbers are still small — in part due to the high costs and time it can take — they are growing so fast that scientists and environmentalists are sounding alarms. (McNeil, 5/6)

There's been a confirmed measles case in Manhattan, health officials said Tuesday. "The NYC Health Department is responding to a measles case in Manhattan through its robust disease surveillance and reporting system, working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed," a New York City Department of Health spokesperson said. "The risk to the general public is low due to high vaccination coverage among New Yorkers and there have been no reports of secondary cases. This is a reminder of the importance of vaccination, which is the best protection against measles." (Zanger and Rozner, 5/5)

In 2023 and 2024, Vermont reported an increase in humans, horses, and mosquito pools that were positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne disease with a 33% case-fatality rate, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vermont health departments report. For the study, published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC researchers reviewed an investigation conducted by the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM). (Van Beusekom, 5/5)

Sampling on 14 California dairy farms positive for H5N1 avian influenza uncovers infectious virus in the air of milking parlors and wastewater, viral RNA in cows’ exhaled breath and milk, and antibodies in the milk of seemingly healthy cows, per a study published today in PLOS Biology. A team led by Emory University researchers performed air, wastewater, and milk sampling on H5N1-positive dairy farms in two regions of California in 2024 and 2025. The findings, they said, highlight potential alternative sources and viral transmission modes on farms, as well as the presence of viral strains in air and wastewater that may be able to infect people. (Van Beusekom, 5/5)

Large tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in the United States more than doubled in recent years and disproportionately affected socially and economically vulnerable populations, according to a report yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Bergeson, 5/1)