The United States has intensified its emergency public health response after a deadly Hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius triggered international concern. Health officials across at least seven US states are now monitoring passengers potentially exposed to the virus as federal authorities prepare a large-scale evacuation and quarantine operation.
The Dutch-operated expedition cruise ship is currently heading toward Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where nearly 150 passengers are expected to disembark under strict medical supervision. At least 17 Americans remain on board.
Also read:Norovirus vs Hantavirus: Crucial Differences Travellers Need to Know After Cruise Ship Illness Outbreak
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its Emergency Operations Center and classified the situation as a Level 3 response - the agency’s lowest emergency activation level, but one that still allows coordinated federal action. US health authorities confirmed they are sending epidemiologists and infectious disease experts to Tenerife to oversee the evacuation process and assist American passengers.
According to officials, passengers will be transferred through a fully isolated route in Tenerife before boarding guarded vehicles to the airport. The Americans will then be flown to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and transferred to the National Quarantine Unit at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. Doctors say each passenger will receive individual rooms, daily medical monitoring, and access to infectious disease specialists during quarantine.
The building that houses the quarantine unit at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska (Pic:AP/File)
At least eight passengers who left the cruise ship earlier and returned to the US are now under active monitoring. Health departments in the following states have confirmed monitoring efforts connected to passengers or possible exposures:
In severe cases, the virus can progress into Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a life-threatening respiratory illness. The current outbreak is believed to involve the Andes strain of hantavirus - the only known strain capable of limited person-to-person transmission under close-contact conditions.
Since April, six confirmed infections and two suspected cases have been linked to the cruise ship outbreak. Three deaths - including a Dutch couple and a German passenger - have also been reported. Health officials say the virus has a long incubation period of up to six weeks, which is why exposed passengers are being monitored for 42 to 45 days even if they currently feel well.
Despite the international response, experts stress that the situation is not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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