Officials report that two cruise ship passengers have tested positive for a strain of hantavirus known as the Andes virus, raising concerns about its ability to spread among humans. Health authorities say the identified virus is a specific species within the hantavirus family and that the Andes virus is found in South America, particularly in Argentina and Chile. Multiple outlets describe the key feature of this strain as its association with human-to-human transmission under certain conditions. According to reporting, the Andes strain is the only known hantavirus variant that can spread through close, prolonged contact between people, which is different from other hantaviruses that typically do not transmit between humans. One report also references the question of what hantavirus caused deaths among cruise ship passengers, linking those concerns to the same Andes strain. The reports focus on the location of the virus’s natural circulation and on what distinguishes the Andes strain from other hantaviruses in terms of potential transmission among humans. Officials are monitoring affected passengers and assessing contact risk while public health guidance is followed.