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2 patients with hantavirus symptoms arrive in Atlanta after cruise ship evacuated
2 patients with hantavirus symptoms arrive in Atlanta after cruise ship evacuated
2 patients with hantavirus symptoms arrive in Atlanta after cruise ship evacuated

Published on: 05/11/2026

Description

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Two people showing symptoms of hantavirus after being evacuated from a cruise ship have arrived in Atlanta.

First Alert Chopper saw the patients in full-body protective gear arriving on a Kalitta Air plane at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport just before 10 a.m. Monday.

They walked off the plane on the tarmac and a Grady ambulance took them to Emory University Hospital off Clifton Road in DeKalb County, where they arrived at around 10:45 a.m.

>> WATCH PASSENGERS DEPART PLANE:

Kalitta Air is the same airline that transported several Americans from a cruise ship hit by the deadly outbreak to Nebraska, where they are set to quarantine for a number of days.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said during a press conference in Nebraska that the two transported to Emory University Hospital’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit are showing symptoms. They did not say if they tested positive for the virus.

RELATED: CDC declares ‘Level 3′ emergency response to hantavirus outbreak

They said Emory has a higher level of quarantine for these patients, who were traveling together and were a “couple.” Their identities have not been released.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) said they were notified on Monday by the CDC that the two patients were being transported to Emory Hospital.

>> WATCH PASSENGERS ARRIVE AT EMORY:

“Federal healthcare workers are taking every precaution needed in each of these cases, and there is no risk to the public at this time,” they said in a statement. “DPH remains in active communication with the CDC and other partners and will continue to do so as needed, as we monitor developments over the coming days and weeks.”

RELATED: 3 passengers test positive or have symptoms of hantavirus after cruise ship evacuation

One of 18 American passengers evacuated from the ship and flown to Nebraska tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, and another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday. The flight landed in the early hours of Monday morning and passengers were transferred to awaiting buses and driven away from the airport.

>> WATCH GOV. BRIAN KEMP ADDRESS ARRIVAL IN ATLANTA:

Meanwhile, the CDC is working with five states — Georgia, Arizona, California, Texas and Virginia — to monitor seven passengers who previously disembarked from the ship.

Those passengers include two Georgians. One of them is from Brunswick, according to Atlanta News First’s sister station WTOC in Savannah.

Hantavirus is usually spread by the inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Return to Atlanta News First for updates on this breaking news story.

Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.

News Source : https://www.walb.com/2026/05/11/live-2-suspected-hantavirus-exposure-cruise-ship-arrive-atlanta/

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