Americans from hantavirus-hit cruise ship return to U.S. quarantine in Nebraska

Eighteen Americans who were aboard the MV Hondius, a Dutch cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak among its international passengers and crew, have returned to the United States and entered quarantine at a specialized federal medical facility located in Nebraska, with one of those returning passengers subsequently testing positive for the virus and being placed in a high-level biocontainment unit for ongoing treatment and isolation, CBS News reported.

The Details

According to CBS News, the returning passengers were taken to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha after arriving back in the United States. One of those Americans has tested positive for the virus and remains in the biocontainment unit at UNMC for treatment, according to the same report.

The outbreak that ultimately prompted the federal repatriation effort occurred aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which was carrying international passengers and crew members on an extended international voyage before the vessel made port and docked in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, Reuters reported. The ship had been traveling with passengers and crew members from multiple countries when the health emergency emerged aboard the vessel, leading the U.S. government to arrange medical transport to bring its citizens back to domestic facilities for monitoring and isolation, Reuters reported.

On May 8, Reuters reported that the U.S. government was actively arranging a dedicated medical repatriation flight for Americans who had remained aboard the infected vessel following the outbreak. The planned logistical route for the returning passengers involved an initial transfer via Offutt Air Force Base, followed by further transport to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska for medical evaluation and continued monitoring, according to that report. The arrangement reflected a coordinated federal effort to bring the Americans back to domestic medical facilities specifically equipped to handle infectious disease containment, isolation, and long-term medical observation.

As of the May 8 report, Reuters indicated that 17 U.S. passengers remained aboard the ship and were expected to be included in the repatriation flight. However, CBS News subsequently reported that 18 Americans had ultimately returned and entered quarantine. Nebraska Public Media, citing CNN, also referenced a count of 17 Americans on the cruise, with uncertainty noted in the reporting about whether that figure included seven passengers who had disembarked earlier in the voyage. The exact reason for the discrepancy between the 17 and 18 passenger figures has not been fully resolved or explained in the public reporting reviewed as of this writing.

Context

Nebraska Public Media reported that UNMC and Nebraska Medicine said they had been asked by the federal government to receive and monitor the U.S. citizens from the MV Hondius in the National Quarantine Unit, which is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the United States. The facility was selected specifically for its unique capacity to isolate and monitor individuals who may have been exposed to infectious diseases during international travel, and it serves as the nation's primary domestic quarantine resource during international health emergencies involving exposed or infected returning citizens.

Nebraska Public Media, citing CNN, said eight passengers had been confirmed with hantavirus during the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius. Three people had died during the outbreak aboard the ship, according to the same report. The World Health Organization identified the strain linked to the ship as Andes virus, according to Nebraska Public Media. Andes virus is a rare hantavirus strain that can spread person-to-person through close contact. The World Health Organization assessed the broader public risk as low, Nebraska Public Media reported.

What's Next

Dr. Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, addressed safety concerns surrounding the quarantine operations in a public statement about the facility's operational readiness. "We are prepared for situations exactly like this," Ash said. He emphasized that the containment facilities were designed to prevent any public exposure. "People should know these facilities were specifically designed to prevent exposure to the public," Ash said. "There is no risk to the community from people being cared for in these units."

The current quarantine operation at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine follows a documented history of previous deployments of the facility's specialized biocontainment and isolation units. UNMC's quarantine and biocontainment facilities have previously been used for Ebola patients in 2014 and COVID-19 quarantine operations, according to Nebraska Public Media.