Hantavirus-Exposed Americans Return to U.S. — Why Experts Say Your Risk Is Low
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Officials say that 18 American passengers have been airlifted to the U.S. after a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship. Chris Mc Grath/Getty Images 18 American passengers have been airlifted to the U.S. after a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard an Antarctic expedition cruise ship. Investigators believe the rare Andes virus strain may have spread among passengers in the ship’s close quarters. Experts say the outbreak highlights the seriousness of hantavirus, but stress that the risk of a COVID-like pandemic remains low. Health officials say that 18 Americans have returned safely to the United States after traveling on a cruise ship in the Atlantic linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak. The U.S. State Department airlifted the passengers from the Spanish island of Tenerife on May 10. Two of those passengers are being treated in biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the Health and Human Services X account. One passenger tested positive for hantavirus, while the other developed mild symptoms, officials said. Of the repatriated Americans, 16 are being treated at an ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center in Omaha, NE. Two others are being treated at a RESPTC in Atlanta, GA. The Americans are among dozens of passengers monitored as international health officials continue investigating the outbreak aboard the ship. The Dutch-flagged m/v Hondius departed from southern Argentina on April 1 with roughly 150 passengers and crew aboard for an expedition cruise through the Atlantic Ocean. Just 11 days into the voyage, a 70-year-old man died after developing fever, headaches, and abdominal pain. After several additional passengers became ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the ship as the site of a hantavirus outbreak. As of May 12, the number of confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the ship rose to 11, according to the WHO. Three deaths have also been confirmed: a Dutch married couple and a German national.