Map of States With Cruise Passengers
TODAY.com • • health
Key Points:
- A hantavirus outbreak involving the Andes strain, which can spread from person to person, has exposed 36 people in the U.S. linked to a cruise ship; 16 are quarantined in Nebraska, two at Emory University, and the rest monitored at home.
- So far, there have been 11 cases and three deaths worldwide related to the cruise, with 150 people exposed; health authorities globally are monitoring passengers to prevent further spread, but no confirmed Andes strain cases have been reported in the U.S. outside quarantine.
- The World Health Organization recommends a 42-day quarantine due to the virus's incubation period, but some quarantined individuals may self-isolate at home if symptom-free; the CDC states the risk to the general American public remains extremely low.
- The cruise departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, and stopped at Tristan de Cunha and St. Helena; investigations continue into how the virus was introduced on board, with no evidence yet of a larger outbreak.
- Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome include fever, muscle aches, and respiratory failure, with onset between 4 to 42 days post-exposure; the Andes strain is linked to rodents in South America and has not been found in U.S. rodent populations.