U.S. Cruise Passengers Evacuated After Hantavirus Outbreak
Seventeen American passengers are set to return home on Monday after spending weeks aboard the M/V Hondius, which was at the center of a serious hantavirus outbreak.
The group is disembarking in the Canary Islands and will board a U.S. government-arranged medical repatriation flight to Nebraska. Upon landing at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, they’ll be evaluated at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines.
Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the College of Public Health at UNMC, welcomed the passengers, assuring them they’d receive top-notch care.
The 17 passengers are part of almost 150 people from 23 different countries who experienced the outbreak that has resulted in at least eight cases and three fatalities, according to the World Health Organization.
These passengers had been isolating in their cabins and will continue to be monitored for a few weeks upon their return, as indicated by U.S. health authorities during a media call.
They are arriving at a specialized quarantine unit, which notably also cared for passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise during its COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.
Unlike COVID-19, which was unfamiliar when it surfaced, hantaviruses—including the specific strain involved here—have been studied for many years. Dr. Khan noted that while smaller clusters of illness can occur, significant outbreaks are quite rare, and he believed this situation is unlikely to escalate into a pandemic.
This strand of hantavirus can be severe but is not easily transmitted between individuals; it typically requires prolonged, close contact with symptomatic persons.
So far, all the U.S. passengers appear healthy. However, symptoms can take up to 42 days to manifest, according to the CDC.
Dr. Khan emphasizes the need for caution, recommending a 42-day monitoring period to ensure that no one falls ill. If a passenger does show signs of illness during this time, isolation protocols will be implemented.
Officials clarified that while the passengers won’t face formal quarantine, some may be allowed to continue monitoring at home after their initial evaluations, with regular check-ins from local health departments.
Earlier, seven U.S. passengers had already disembarked and are being monitored across various states, including Texas, California, Georgia, and Virginia.
Public health experts are voicing concerns about the U.S. government’s response to this outbreak, describing it as muted and delayed. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law, criticized the initial inaction of the CDC but noted that better measures are finally being implemented.
In response, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services dismissed claims regarding a lack of response, stating that a coordinated interagency approach is underway, championed by the Department of State.
As the U.S. government ramps up its efforts, many hope the outbreak will remain contained, particularly since, unlike other pathogens, the Andes virus, as noted, is not highly transmissible. However, Gostin points out that this situation highlights serious deficiencies in pandemic preparedness, suggesting the need for more investment in infectious disease management and prevention.
