18 Cruise Passengers Quarantined in U.S. After Hantavirus Outbreak

Eighteen passengers from the cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak are now back in the United States and under medical monitoring, as health officials continue efforts to contain the virus and reassure the public that the overall risk remains low.

According to health authorities, sixteen passengers, including at least one person who tested positive for hantavirus, are being monitored at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Two others were transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for further evaluation and care.

Officials said all sixteen people in Nebraska are currently asymptomatic, while at least one of the patients in Atlanta is experiencing symptoms. The patients range in age from their late twenties to early eighties.

The outbreak has been linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. Since April 11, three passengers have died and several others have fallen ill. The World Health Organization says the virus, which is commonly spread through rodents, may have been transmitted from person to person aboard the vessel.

Despite concerns, U.S. health officials stressed that hantavirus does not spread easily and said the threat to the public remains “very, very low.”

“Let me be crystal clear: The risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low,” said Dr. Brian Christine of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He explained that the Andes strain of the virus typically requires prolonged close contact with someone already showing symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that all American passengers who returned from the ship are being monitored daily by state health departments. Officials said plans are also in place to isolate anyone who develops symptoms while at home.

CNN reports that, in addition to the eighteen passengers in medical facilities, nine other individuals across six U.S. states are also being monitored after possible exposure connected to the cruise ship.