Outbreaks
Hantavirus outbreaks, 2024–2026
Why hantavirus is in the news right now: a 2026 Antarctic-cruise cluster, the death of Gene Hackman's wife in 2025, and the steady drumbeat of cases in the US Southwest. What's confirmed, what's not.
2026 — Antarctic cruise-ship cluster
In April–May 2026, the WHO reported a cluster of 7 hantavirus cases with 3 deaths aboard a Netherlands-flagged Antarctic expedition vessel that departed Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1, 2026, carrying 147 passengers and crew of 23 nationalities. The pathogen was Andes virus — the only hantavirus with documented person-to-person transmission, which is why a shared-cabin outbreak made epidemiological sense.
Public-health agencies in the United States, including California and Arizona, traced disembarked passengers and monitored for symptoms. The WHO assessed global risk as low, but the cluster prompted advisories about Patagonia travel and Andes-virus exposure.
February 2025 — Betsy Arakawa, Santa Fe
On February 26, 2025, actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found deceased at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. Forensic investigation determined:
- Betsy Arakawa died around February 12, 2025 of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The New Mexico Department of Health confirmed the case as the state's first hantavirus death of 2025.
- Gene Hackman died days later. His official cause of death was cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a contributing factor — not hantavirus.
- An environmental assessment of the property reportedly identified rodent feces in several outbuildings, consistent with a deer-mouse exposure source.
- Records showed Arakawa had been searching her computer for medical information about flu and COVID-like symptoms in the days before she died.
The case drew enormous attention because hantavirus had been little-known to the public, and it triggered a sustained search-traffic spike for "hantavirus symptoms," "hantavirus from mice," and "is hantavirus contagious."
US activity by state, 2020–2025
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome remains rare in the US — but it's persistent. Over the five years 2020–2025, recent reporting puts confirmed cases at:
| State | Confirmed HPS cases (2020–2025) |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 26 |
| New Mexico | 25 |
| Colorado | 13 |
| California | several (incl. multiple 2024–2025 deaths) |
| Washington | scattered cases |
For longer context, CDC's cumulative tally from 1993 through 2023 recorded 890 US HPS cases and 309 deaths (~35% case-fatality). State death totals: New Mexico 54, Colorado 45, Arizona 32, California 24, Washington 20.
August 2012 — Yosemite Curry Village
10 visitors to Yosemite National Park's Curry Village contracted Sin Nombre virus from deer-mouse-infested insulated tent cabins between June and August 2012; 3 died. The double-walled "signature" tents had become unintentional rodent nests. The episode is the most-cited modern US tourism-linked outbreak. Read the full timeline →
May 1993 — Four Corners
The original New-World hantavirus outbreak: a cluster of fatal acute respiratory illness on the Navajo Nation led CDC to identify Sin Nombre virus, carried by deer mice, after a wet El Niño winter caused a rodent population boom. The outbreak's discovery is the reason HPS even has a name. Background →
Why the search spike in 2025–2026
Three things stacked: the high-profile Hackman/Arakawa case, the unusual cruise-ship vector, and the person-to-person Andes-virus narrative getting picked up by mainstream outlets. Underlying ecology hasn't changed — hantavirus still spreads from rodent excreta, still has no specific antiviral, and still has no licensed vaccine in the US or EU.
Frequently asked questions
Did Gene Hackman die of hantavirus?
No. His wife Betsy Arakawa died of HPS around February 12, 2025. Gene Hackman's cause of death was cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's contributing — he died several days after she did, per the New Mexico medical investigator.
How did Betsy Arakawa get hantavirus?
Almost certainly through inhalation of dust contaminated with rodent urine, feces or saliva at the family property. The official environmental assessment found rodent feces in outbuildings on the estate.
What was the 2026 cruise-ship outbreak?
A WHO-reported cluster of Andes-virus HPS aboard an Antarctic expedition vessel that departed Ushuaia, Argentina in April 2026. 7 cases / 3 deaths were reported among 147 passengers and crew. US health agencies traced disembarked passengers in California and Arizona.
Is hantavirus contagious between people?
Almost never. Andes virus is the only hantavirus with documented human-to-human transmission, and the cruise-ship cluster is consistent with that exception. All other hantaviruses spread only from rodents to people. Read more →
Is the US in a hantavirus outbreak?
No declared outbreak. Annual US case counts (about 30–50 reported HPS cases a year) are within the historical range. The current attention is driven by news coverage, not a numerical surge.
See History for the full timeline, Syndromes for clinical detail, and Prevention for how to clean rodent-contaminated areas safely.