Hantavirus Outbreak on MV Hondius Contained; 10 Confirmed or Probable Cases, Passengers Monitored in U.S. and Europe

Passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship started disembarking on Sunday in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries. The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the MV Hondius has risen to 10, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.

On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Fifteen passengers were welcomed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s quarantine unit Monday morning, while one person who tested positive is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. The quarantine unit is more like a hotel, while the biocontainment unit is patient-based care, more like a hospital, officials said.

The 15 passengers at the quarantine unit are in good spirits, according to Dr.

Mike Waldman. “We’ve been doing symptom monitoring, as well as temperature checks,” Dr. Mike Waldman said. “Everyone here is asymptomatic and do not have a temperature at this time. ” The one person in the biocontainment unit is doing well and does not have symptoms but is very tired after a really long journey, officials said.

The 15 in the quarantine unit will have the option to stay in Nebraska at the quarantine center for the entire 42-day monitoring period or go home to monitor symptoms in coordination with their state and local health departments, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta for further assessment and care, officials said.