Hantavirus, the rodent-borne virus at the center of an outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, is the same infection that killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of late actor Gene Hackman.
Hackman and Arakawa were both found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home in February 2025. Hackman, 95, died from natural causes, but had heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer's disease. Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
More than a year later, the virus that killed Arakawa is back in the spotlight after three people who traveled on board the MV Hondius cruise ship have died from it. A total of eight cases, including five confirmed and three suspected, have been tied to the cruise ship outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.
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Arakawa's case and those on the cruise ship do appear to differ in transmission, though.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans through contact with rodent urine, feces or saliva. Human-to-human transmission is uncommon, though officials suspect it could be at play among the cruise ship passengers, according to the WHO.
Here's what to know about the tie between Arakawa's death and the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship.
Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa died of hantavirus
Arakawa is believed to have died around Feb. 11, 2025, according to the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. Her cause of death was ruled to be hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a severe, potentially deadly disease caused by hantavirus. People get hantavirus from contact with rodent urine, droppings and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After Arakawa and Hackman were found dead, officials conducted an environmental assessment of their home that found evidence of rodents around their property, according to a copy of the report obtained by USA TODAY in April 2025.
They found rodent feces in various detached buildings around the property, including three garages, two casitas and three sheds. There was also one live and one dead rodent, as well as a nest in three different garages.
In the days before Arakawa's death, she was seen in public wearing a face mask and had also reportedly searched online for terms related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms.
How cruise ship hantavirus outbreak differs from Betsy Arakawa's death
While Arakawa's death and the infections among those on board the MV Hondius cruise ship both center on hantavirus, the cases are different because of the suspected transmission.
Arakawa is believed to have contracted the virus from the rodent droppings found around her and Hackman's home, while some of the infected cruise ship passengers are suspected to have gotten sick from each other.
The WHO believes two of the people on the cruise, a husband and wife from the Netherlands, were initially infected while they were off the ship engaging in wildlife expeditions. But other infections could stem from fellow passengers, WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said at a May 5 press briefing.
"We do believe that there may be some human-to-human transmission that's happening among the really close contacts – the husband and wife, people who've shared cabins, etcetera," WHO official Maria Van Kerkhove said at a May 5 press briefing.
On May 6, WHO said the strain of hantavirus has been confirmed through laboratory testing as Andes virus, a strain found in South America that is believed to spread person-to-person.
Symptoms in humans typically begin two to three weeks after infection, and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea. In serious cases, it can cause issues with lung and heart function, per the Mayo Clinic.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hantavirus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife hits cruise ship
