Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen said that the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains "very low" and there is a "strong plan in place" to tackle the virus, reported CNN.. The press conference was held after an American passenger from a hantavirus-hit Dutch cruise ship was tested positive for the virus, while another had mild symptoms. Notably, all 17 Americans from the cruise ship,MV Hondius, arrived in Nebraska for evaluation at a quarantine unit.
Addressing media, Pillen said that people who are at the National Quarantine Unit and the Biocontainment Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after arriving from the cruise ship are being taken care of.
“We are working diligently to ensure no one leaves the security in an unsecured way at an inappropriate time and no one who poses a risk to public health is walking out the front door of the streets of Omaha or beyond,” Pillen said at a press conference on Monday, as quoted by the media outlet. He assured the residents of Nebraska that the administration has the capability to tackle the virus.
thanked the professionals who worked tiredlessly to have a safe transfer of the American passengers from the Canary Islands” to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “The passengers who are here at UNMC are going to receive nothing but world-class care,” Pillen said.
The passengers were first taken to the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, before transferring the passenger with mild symptoms to a second RESPTC at their final destination, as per the the US Department of Health and Human Services
"Upon arrival at each facility, each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition," the department said in an X post.
As of Saturday, there were eight suspected cases of Hantavirus and three deaths, it said.
Also Read:Hantavirus Explained: What Students Should Know About This Rare Infection
The outbreak first came to global attention after multiple passengers aboard the ship developed severe respiratory illness during the voyage.
The MV Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a 35-day voyage covering Antarctica and remote South Atlantic islands. The ship carried nearly 150 passengers and crew from more than 20 nationalities.
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