Is There a Threat of Hantavirus in Florida? Identifying the Rodents Linked to the Virus

The presence of hantavirus in Florida is confirmed, yet the general population faces minimal risk.

Florida's primary rodent carrier is the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus), which harbors a native strain known as the Black Creek Canal virus, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Interest in hantavirus surged following an active outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, resulting in three fatalities and at least six confirmed cases of the Andes virus strain, as reported by the World Health Organization.

Varying Risks Among Rodents

Florida is home to various rodent species, but not all pose the same threat of hantavirus transmission.

The common house mouse (Mus musculus), frequently found in homes and buildings, rarely carries hantavirus.

Similarly, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), the main carrier in the western United States, is not prevalent in Florida.

The cotton rat is the species of greatest concern; it inhabits fields, dense vegetation, attics, and sheds and has been identified as a carrier of the Black Creek Canal virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recorded only three human cases of hantavirus in Florida from 1993 to 2023, including one in Dade County in 1993.

Transmission and Symptoms

The virus primarily spreads through inhalation of aerosols from the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents, particularly when cleaning poorly ventilated, enclosed spaces.

Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle aches in the thighs, back, and hips, chills, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

In severe cases, the illness can progress to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a serious respiratory condition with a 38% mortality rate among those who develop respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC.

No specific treatment exists; patients receive supportive care, including mechanical ventilation in the most critical cases.

Cruise Ship Outbreak Raises Concerns

The renewed focus on hantavirus in Florida and nationwide stems from the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged cruise operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, which departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1, 2026.

The fatalities include a Dutch couple and a German woman.

Approximately 90 passengers and 60 crew members from 23 countries were on board, including 17 Americans, who will be evacuated to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, and transferred to the University of Nebraska's National Quarantine Center.

Five states—Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and California—are monitoring passengers who disembarked before the initial diagnoses for 42 days, the maximum incubation period for the Andes virus.

The ship is set to reach Tenerife in the Canary Islands this Sunday, where passengers will disembark via boats without the ship docking.

The Andes strain is the only hantavirus variant with limited human-to-human transmission capability, which explains the spread aboard the cruise ship.

International health authorities have dismissed the possibility of the outbreak escalating into an epidemic.

The WHO emphasized, "This is not coronavirus; it's a very different virus. We are not in the same situation as six years ago."

For Florida residents, authorities advise against handling rodents, ventilating closed spaces before cleaning, using gloves and a HEPA-filter mask, and contacting pest control professionals if rodent activity is detected at home.