Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Nebraska Medicine health system, and University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) gathered Monday to comment on the early-morning arrival to Nebraska of 16 American passengers who experienced a Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship at sea.
The individuals are in Omaha for monitoring and assessment. One cruise ship passenger who tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus, but does not have symptoms, was admitted to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit (NBU).
HHS Assistant Secretary Admiral Dr. Brian Christine said the risk of Hantavirus to the general public remains very low.
“The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily, and it requires prolonged, close contact with someone who is already symptomatic, even so, we have taken this situation very seriously from the very start,” Christine said at a May 11 press conference, which took place at the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center.
The 14 other passengers are in the Davis Global Center’s National Quarantine Unit (NQU).
“The 15 that were welcomed here were in good shape,” NQU medical director Dr. Michael Wadman said. “We’ve been doing symptom monitoring as well as temperature checks. Everyone here is asymptomatic and afebrile… do not have a temperature at this time.”
UNMC was selected as the U.S. entry point because of its expertise in special pathogens, and has the only national quarantine unit in the country.
For contingency planning, two other U.S. passengers were transported to Emory University in Atlanta where they are undergoing similar medical evaluation, according to NBU medical director Angela Hewlett.
“They want to make sure that if other of the people who are in the more residential side need potential medical care, there is space available,” she told reporters. “So, by moving other people who may have symptoms to another location, it makes sure there’s that space to care for them.”
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses usually spread by rodents, but in rare cases can be transmitted person to person.
When a reporter asked whether passengers in the NBU are free to leave, Hewlett said they are in an assessment phase and will remain for at least a few days.
“There’s going to be an individualized decision plan for them to determine if it makes more sense for them to complete their 42 day monitoring period at home,” she said.
There are 24 passengers remaining on board the MV Hondius cruise ship who will be evacuated this afternoon by Spanish authorities.
The ship is currently anchored near Spain’s Atlantic island of Tenerife.
A total of 94 people were evacuated and repatriated to their countries of residence following a cruise that started 41 days ago in Argentina and nine days after the first positive test result was recorded.
