U.S. Repatriates Americans from Cruise Ship with Hantavirus Cases for Quarantine in Nebraska

U.S. government is moving to evacuate American passengers from the M/V Hondius cruise ship as it sails toward Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. At least 17 Americans are among nearly 150 passengers still aboard the vessel, which will dock there for coordinated international response efforts.

A CDC team of epidemiologists and medical professionals has been deployed to the Canary Islands to meet the Americans on board and assess potential exposure. Passengers will be taken to a completely isolated, cordoned-off area in Tenerife before boarding guarded vehicles to a cordoned-off section of the local airport, Virginia Barcones, Spain’s head of emergency services, said.

U.S. Government medical repatriation flight that will land at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. From there they will be transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Additional CDC personnel will be stationed at Offutt Air Force Base to support health assessments.

U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the government of Spain. The CDC’s Global Migration Health division is leading most of the engagement with states, particularly repatriation efforts.

The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center at its Atlanta headquarters. The agency has classified the hantavirus outbreak as a "level 3," which is the lowest level of concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated the risk to the American public remains extremely low.

President Donald Trump said the situation appears to be under control because the virus is difficult to transmit. "We have very good people looking at it. It seems to be okay. They know the virus very well.

They've worked with it for a long time. Not easy to pass on. So we hope that's true," he said. Trump added in a separate statement, "We seem to have things under very good control.

It's been around a long time. Not easily transferable, unlike COVID. But we'll see. " The outbreak began with a passenger who became sick in early April. Since the start of April, six passengers on the MV Hondius have been confirmed to have infections and two more cases are suspected.

The outbreak has resulted in at least three deaths according to the World Health Organization. Three deaths have been reported: a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman. Cases are now reported across multiple countries after passengers disembarked in Africa and Europe.

Authorities in Cape Verde blocked passengers from leaving the ship at one point. The vessel is expected to dock in Spain’s Canary Islands, where international teams are coordinating next steps for passengers and crew. As early as Sunday, global health authorities will help transport remaining asymptomatic passengers to their home countries.

U.S. S. as soon as next week. S. are monitoring at least eight passengers who disembarked on April 24 and returned home.

The eight passengers who returned home on April 24 have not developed symptoms and are not being told to isolate. Georgia and Texas are each monitoring two residents who were on the cruise ship. Arizona and Virginia are each monitoring one resident who was on the cruise ship.

Virginia’s health department stated that a small number (less than 5) of other potentially exposed Virginians might be identified. California’s health department stated that at least one California resident remains on board the ship and one other returned to the state after disembarking.

New Jersey’s health department stated that two New Jersey residents who were not passengers were potentially exposed during air travel abroad.

The Texas residents are monitoring themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks. The monitoring of the Arizona resident will last for 42 days starting when the person departed the ship, Ken Komatsu, Arizona’s state epidemiologist, said. The strain involved is the Andes virus, identified in some cases linked to the cruise ship.

The Andes virus is the only known strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission. Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, according to the CDC. The primary route of transmission is contact with rodents or their urine, feces or saliva.

U.S. Hantavirus causes fever, fatigue, nausea and trouble breathing. The fatality rate for hantavirus in the Americas is up to 50% according to the World Health Organization.

The virus’ incubation period can last up to six weeks. A special biocontainment unit in Nebraska is preparing to host at least 17 people for mandatory isolation. There are 20 available spaces in the quarantine unit.

Each individual will have their own room and get food delivered to them. Passengers will have their vital signs monitored daily and have access to infectious disease specialists and critical care physicians. Dr.

Michael Wadman stated that each of the rooms looks very much like a hotel room, with Wi-Fi and exercise equipment available. If passengers become ill, they will move from quarantine into the biocontainment unit. Nebraska Medical Center’s biocontainment unit housed some of the first Covid patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in early 2020 and several Ebola patients in 2014.

"We are prepared for situations exactly like this," Dr. Michael Ash, chief executive officer of Nebraska Medicine, stated. The CDC is moving forward with a medical repatriation flight for passengers aboard the M/V Hondius.

American passengers from the M/V Hondius will be transported to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring.