Hantavirus outbreak update: Cruise ship passengers return to U.S. as case of Andes strain confirmed

As countries continue to deal with a hantavirus outbreak linked to passengers aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship, government and public health agencies have begun repatriating both those confirmed to have the virus and those potentially exposed to it. This includes the United States, where 17 American citizens who were on board the ship are being repatriated by the U.S. State Department. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On Monday night, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) confirmed that the repatriation of Americans aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship had begun. In a post on X, the HHS said that its Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) division, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is supporting the U.S. Department of State with the repatriation of 17 Americans who were on board the cruise ship. That repatriation is being spearheaded by the State Department, which is airlifting the cruise passengers from Tenerife, Spain, where the ship was allowed to dock, to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. The 17 Americans are being flown to Omaha because that’s where the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska is located. The National Quarantine Center is a federally funded facility, which “provides unmatched quarantine monitoring and care for those exposed to high-consequence pathogens,” according to the center’s website. The HHS confirmed that two of the 17 Americans being airlifted are traveling in the plane’s biocontainment units. This is because one of these passengers has tested “mildly” positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus, and the other is currently experiencing “mild symptoms,” according to the HHS. What are the symptoms of hantavirus? Symptoms can start anywhere from one to eight weeks after initial exposure to the hantavirus, according to the CDC. The symptoms can also come in two waves. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches,