18 Passengers Quarantined in US After Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship
By Christy Santhosh and Michael Erman
Details of the Hantavirus Outbreak and Quarantine Measures
Quarantine and Monitoring of Passengers
May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials said on Monday that 18 passengers from the luxury cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak were flown back to the U.S. and quarantined, with the one passenger who tested positive in a Nebraska biocontainment unit.
The passengers are currently being monitored for hantavirus at U.S. medical facilities, with 16 of them at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and two in Atlanta, including one who is experiencing symptoms, the officials said at a press briefing.
Background on the Outbreak
The group had been aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship linked to an outbreak of the Andes virus, the only hantavirus species known to be capable of limited spread from person-to-person. Hantavirus is usually spread by wild rodents.
Risk Assessment and Public Health Response
The U.S. health officials said the risk to the general public remains very low. Admiral Brian Christine, assistant secretary for health at the agency, said the Andes virus "does not spread easily" and generally requires prolonged close contact with someone who is symptomatic.
Government and Health Official Statements
Presidential Response
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, when asked about the U.S.'s handling of the Hantavirus, said, "I think (it was) fine."
World Health Organization Update
Seven cases of the Andes hantavirus have now been confirmed among people who were passengers on board the cruise ship, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.
When asked if he regrets withdrawing from the WHO, Trump added, "No, I'm glad."
Medical Care and Biocontainment Efforts
Patient Distribution and Care Facilities
Officials said the two passengers sent to Atlanta were a couple, one of whom had symptoms, and were taken to Emory University's biocontainment unit to help preserve Nebraska's capacity for any other passengers who might need higher-level care.
Condition of Quarantined Individuals
Angela Hewlett, an infectious disease physician and medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, said the individual taken there was "doing well" and had not shown any symptoms.
Hewlett said officials would continue monitoring the individual and "ensure that they remain asymptomatic."
Coordination Between Agencies
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who also spoke at the Oval Office, said he has been speaking with the University of Nebraska "since the second day of the outbreak" as well as with Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen.
"We had a CDC team at Tenerife. We had airplanes ready to take the patients... We have this under control, and we're not worried about it," Kennedy said.
Demographics and Duration of Quarantine
Officials said the quarantined passengers ranged in age from their late 20s to late 70s or early 80s, and could remain under monitoring for up to 42 days.
The group included 17 U.S. citizens and one British dual national who chose to return to the United States.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru, Michael Erman in New Jersey, additional reporting by Sriparna Roy, Ismail Shakil and Sneha S K; Editing by Maju Samuel)
