Seventeen Americans Rescued from Hantavirus-Affected Cruise Ship

Early Monday, a group of 17 Americans who were rescued from a cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak arrived in Nebraska. Among them was Jake Rosmarin, a travel blogger who became emotional in a video after learning about the deaths of three passengers linked to the virus.

Rosmarin posted a cheerful selfie from his hospital room at the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, where he is under medical observation along with the other passengers.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), one of the passengers has tested positive for the virus, while another is experiencing mild symptoms.

The two passengers affected were transported in a biocontainment unit during their flight from the Canary Islands, where the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius had docked on Sunday. Their chartered plane touched down in Nebraska around 2:30 a.m.

As for medical treatment, each individual will undergo evaluations and receive necessary care depending on their symptoms, as specified by HHS. Although the exact quarantine duration is unclear, the World Health Organization suggests a 42-day quarantine for those on the affected ship.

A week prior, Rosmarin had shared a distressing video from aboard the ship, revealing his fears after the third passenger’s death from the virus, which has a startling 38% fatality rate. He expressed, “I’m on board the MV Hondius right now, and what’s happening is very real for all of us here.”

His heartfelt message highlighted that the situation affected the travelers personally, saying, “We’re not just an article, we’re not just a headline. We have families, we have lives, we have people waiting for us at home.”

The group of Americans was part of a larger party of about 150 travelers on a polar cruise stretching from Argentina to Antarctica when the outbreak occurred.