Quarantine ordered for 2 passengers from cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak now in Nebraska
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- U.S. health officials have issued quarantine orders for two passengers from a cruise ship involved in a hantavirus outbreak, currently hospitalized in Nebraska, with all 18 hospital patients asked to remain through May 31 for monitoring.
- The quarantine orders, signed by CDC acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, are a rare legal measure enforceable by fines and imprisonment if public health requests are refused.
- No hantavirus cases have been confirmed among returned U.S. passengers yet, but the incubation period can be as long as 42 days, explaining the extended quarantine duration.
- Since the passengers left the ship, three additional hantavirus cases have been reported in France, Spain, and Canada, contributing to a total of 11 cases linked to the cruise, including three deaths.
- Eight of the 11 hantavirus cases have been confirmed through laboratory testing, according to the World Health Organization.