2 New Jersey Residents Potentially Exposed to Hantavirus, Officials Say

An outbreak of the virus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has killed three so far, officials said.

The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. Misper Apawu/AP Photo

Health officials in New Jersey said two Garden State residents may have been exposed to someone with hantavirus who was a passenger on the stricken MV Hondius cruise ship at the center of a virus outbreak in recent days.

The two New Jersey residents were not onboard the ship, but had traveled on the same flight with the infected person, the New Jersey Department of Health said in a statement on Friday.