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May 18, 2026
Missouri health care providers, please contact your local public health agency or the Missouri
Department of Health and Senior Services’ Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and
Prevention at 573-751-6113 or 800-392-0272 (24/7) to report a patient suspected of having hantavirus or for questions regarding this CDC Health Update.
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Summary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update to inform clinicians and health departments about testing available for patients with suspected hantavirus infection to include Andes virus. CDC first issued a Health Advisory (HAN-00528) about this outbreak on May 8, 2026. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that typically spread to people who come in contact with sylvatic rodents. These viruses can cause severe illness or death in humans. Andes virus, a type of hantavirus endemic in South America, is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread from person to person. Several other New World hantaviruses are endemic to the United States and are not transmissible from person to person. New World hantaviruses can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a potentially serious disease that can cause damage to the lungs.
On May 2, 2026, an outbreak of Andes virus on a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). This outbreak has raised the possibility of cases being imported to the United States. As of May 18, no confirmed cases of Andes virus associated with the outbreak on the cruise ship have been reported in the United States. Therefore, the overall risk to the American public is still considered extremely low at this time. CDC and health departments in several states are monitoring the health of U.S. passengers from the ship and U.S. air travel contacts of symptomatic ship passengers who were subsequently confirmed to have Andes virus infection. This Health Update informs clinicians about testing and consultation that are available for Andes virus and other hantaviruses endemic to the United States, South America, and other nations.
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Submitted by: ERC Duty Officer, Emergency Response Center (ERC) Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services 912 Wildwood Dr., PO Box 570 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0570 Phone: 573-526-9711, Facsimile: 573-526-8389 Email: DRMS@health.mo.gov |
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CDC's Message Types:
Health Alert: Conveys the highest level of importance about a public health incident.
Health Advisory: Provides important information about a public health incident.
Health Update: Provides updated information about a public health incident.
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