Seventeen American passengers from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship M/V Hondius have been evacuated to the United States, including one person who tested positive for the virus and another displaying mild symptoms. The group disembarked in Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday and were flown on a chartered flight to a quarantine centre in Nebraska.
The US Health and Human Services Department confirmed that one passenger tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus via a PCR test, while another had mild symptoms. Both were transported in biocontainment units aboard the aircraft. The passengers are being evaluated at the ASPR regional emerging special pathogen treatment centre at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya said medical teams would interview each passenger to assess their risk of exposure. Those deemed low risk after not having close contact with a symptomatic individual would be offered the choice of staying in Nebraska or returning home under the supervision of state and local public health agencies, with CDC support.
Bhattacharya stressed that hantavirus is not Covid-19 and should not cause public panic, noting that established protocols had successfully contained past outbreaks. The CDC issued a health alert on Friday to clinicians and health departments, outlining symptoms and guidance related to hantavirus exposure.
A CDC official said on Saturday that no mandatory quarantine was being imposed, adding that testing was not recommended for asymptomatic individuals. The World Health Organization, however, has advised a 42-day quarantine with active follow-up for those potentially exposed, either in a facility or at home.
