U.S. Passengers Exposed to Hantavirus Begin Quarantine, Including One With Positive Test
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- Eighteen American passengers potentially exposed to hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius returned to the U.S. and are being quarantined, with one individual testing mildly positive and isolated in a biocontainment unit.
- Sixteen passengers are at a quarantine center in Omaha, while two, including a symptomatic individual, were hospitalized in Atlanta.
- The MV Hondius departed Argentina on April 1 with around 150 passengers; three passengers died from hantavirus, and several others became ill or tested positive.
- Health officials emphasized that the risk of hantavirus to the general public remains very low, and there are no targeted treatments or widely available vaccines for the virus, which has a 42-day incubation period.
- The American passengers range in age from their late 20s to 80s, including a dual U.S.-British citizen, with at least three confirmed residents from New York State.