Seventeen American cruise passengers are expected to return to the United States early Monday after spending weeks aboard the M/V Hondius, the cruise ship now at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
One U.S. passenger has tested “mildly positive” for the Andes strain of hantavirus, while another American is showing mild symptoms, according to theU.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesX post.
HHS through@ASPRgovand@CDCgovis supporting@StateDeptin the repatriation of 17 American citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship affected by the Andes variant of hantavirus.
All 17 are currently en route via@StateDeptairlift to the United States, with two of the…
Both passengers are being transported in biocontainment units and are expected to be evaluated at specialized facilities in Nebraska.
The outbreak has already turned deadly. As The Gateway Punditpreviouslyreported, several passengers aboard the ship have fallen ill, with six confirmed cases and three deaths tied to the outbreak.
Reutersreportedthat the deaths included a Dutch couple and a German national.
The M/V Hondius had been carrying passengers on an expedition cruise before the health emergency triggered an international response. The ship eventually arrived in Tenerife, Spain, where passengers from multiple countries began being evacuated or repatriated.
The infected American and the passenger showing symptoms are being handled understrictermedical precautions. The remaining U.S. passengers will be evaluated after arriving at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, home to national quarantine and biocontainment units.
Passengers who are not considered direct contacts of symptomatic individuals may be classified as lower risk and monitored by public health officials.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
