More than a dozen Americans linked to the hantavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship M.V. Hondius arrived in the United States on Monday after being airlifted to Nebraska for monitoring and quarantine.
The State Department evacuated 17 American citizens from the Dutch vessel after concerns intensified over possible exposure to the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly virus that health officials say can occasionally spread between humans.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that one passenger tested positive for the virus while another passenger was experiencing mild symptoms.
According to HHS, both individuals were transported in specialized biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution.”
The passengers were flown to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where they are expected to remain under observation for up to 42 days.
Health officials stressed Monday that the overall risk to the American public remains “very low,” despite growing international concern surrounding the outbreak.
Nebraska Medicine said the passenger who tested positive currently does not have symptoms but will remain isolated inside the facility’s specialized biocontainment unit while additional testing is performed.
Officials also clarified that the positive test results were not definitive and require further evaluation.
“There’s sort of a range,” CDC official Brendan Jackson said during a briefing. “We just want to make sure there’s further testing to evaluate that.”
The ordeal comes after days of uncertainty aboard the M.V. Hondius, which had effectively been stranded while international health agencies and governments coordinated evacuation and quarantine procedures.
The ship ultimately docked in the Canary Islands on Sunday, where passengers were escorted off under strict biosecurity protocols. Travelers reportedly wore face coverings while hazmat-equipped crews directed them onto quarantine transport flights.
At least nine confirmed or suspected cases have now been tied to the outbreak, including three deaths.
Authorities believe the outbreak likely began after an elderly Dutch couple contracted the virus while traveling in Argentina before boarding the ship.
The husband later died aboard the vessel, while his wife reportedly became seriously ill after leaving the ship and later died in South Africa. A German passenger also died after developing symptoms connected to the outbreak.
Health officials are monitoring quarantined passengers for symptoms including fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches and severe fatigue.
The Andes strain involved in the outbreak has drawn heightened attention because, unlike most hantavirus strains, it has shown limited capability for human-to-human transmission in rare circumstances involving extremely close contact.
Despite the concern, federal officials continue to emphasize that the virus is not easily transmissible and does not pose a broad threat to the public at this time.
The post Hantavirus Cruise Ship Outbreak Reaches US As Americans Enter Quarantine appeared first on Real News Now.
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