Passenger Quarantined After Hantavirus Exposure Expresses Frustration

OMAHA, Nebraska — An American passenger exposed to the Andes strain of hantavirus on the cruise ship HV Hondius feels “blindsided” and “misled” by the recent federal orders requiring him to stay at the National Quarantine Center in Nebraska.

At least two passengers were formally placed under quarantine after trying to leave. Others were warned that if they chose not to stay voluntarily, they would also be mandated to remain. This order, which CNN reviewed, was signed by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who oversees both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Public health officials have consistently stated that the public risk from the Andes hantavirus remains low. However, the situation has put the Trump administration in a challenging position regarding the medical freedom movement, which opposes government-enforced health measures like vaccination and masking—ideas supported by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his team.

Dr. Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which criticized the negative health effects of the government’s lockdown policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is just another way to breed mistrust in public health,” asserted Dr. Ali S. Khan, dean of the school of public health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, on social media. He noted that many other hantavirus cruise ship passengers in the U.S. are being monitored at home without a mandatory order.

Passengers who disembarked from the Hondius in April and returned to the U.S. before the outbreak was recognized are being tracked by local public health departments from their homes.

In briefings last week, CDC officials indicated they were evaluating passengers and collaborating with local health agencies to facilitate home quarantines. The CDC issued guidelines to support these departments in monitoring individuals exposed to the virus, which includes twice-daily in-person check-ins.

Until Sunday night, some passengers had anticipated being able to return home soon to complete an additional 42 days of quarantine. Many were already in communication with their local health agencies, responsible for their supervision.

One unidentified passenger, concerned about potential harassment of his family, noted that his local health department had prepared a quarantine order allowing him to stay in a guest house on his parents’ property, and he had hoped to leave Nebraska by Tuesday.

“It wasn’t just a guideline; it was an official order,” he said about the order from the local health department. “I wouldn’t have opposed that, but my preference is to be at home.”

While he stated that no passengers wish to jeopardize anyone’s safety, he plans to contest the new order keeping him in Nebraska.

“None of us here are asking for release from quarantine,” he told CNN. “All we want is the less restrictive option of home quarantine—what everyone was expecting until this surprise on Sunday.”

During a hastily arranged video call on Sunday, the 18 passengers at the National Quarantine Center were informed by Dr. David Fitter, who leads the CDC’s response to the hantavirus outbreak, and Dr. Denis Fitzgerald from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, that they must stay through at least May 31.

“We felt blindsided by that,” the passenger noted. He mentioned that the health department contact he’d been working with seemed unaware of this new directive, as did the CDC staff interacting with passengers at the quarantine facility.

Another quarantined individual remarked that he anticipated changes as further positive cases emerged among international passengers.

“I felt a bit disappointed and caught off guard, though I can’t say I was completely surprised,” said Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, a retired oncologist from Bend, Oregon, who began caring for passengers after the ship’s doctor fell ill with hantavirus. Kornfeld is now also in quarantine with the other American passengers in Nebraska.

During the call, they learned that this shift in strategy was prompted by three passengers—from Spain, France, and Canada—testing positive after disembarking the ship on May 10.

“I knew that a Canadian had tested positive for hantavirus, and I figured that would affect decision-making,” Kornfeld remarked. “I believe it did influence the timing of our meeting.”

This explanation wasn’t satisfying for everyone, as the other passenger noted, “We always understood that more people could become ill.”

“It seems clear this was a public relations decision,” he continued. “The CDC has faced criticism for its delayed response and its communication challenges, amid significant public concern regarding the outbreak.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the CDC emphasized that it “will continue to collaborate with state and local health authorities as we work on the best solutions to ensure the safety and health of these passengers.”

Despite some individuals being prepared to remain at the National Quarantine Unit for the full 42 days, the passenger expressed his and others’ dissatisfaction with being required to stay.

“I don’t understand why I can’t be home. Being home means I have my belongings and can go outside in my yard. Here, I’m confined to a small room with no outdoor access. Everything I do has to go through the staff at the front desk,” he lamented. “I feel like I’m being incarcerated.”

At least one expert in infectious diseases shared a similar sentiment.

“They should have remained quarantined, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable for them to be flown on a special flight and then quarantined at home,” stated Dr. Peter Hotez, director of vaccine development at Texas Children’s Hospital. “That would seem quite reasonable.”