American passengers aboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship to quarantine in Nebraska: Report

Washington, May 9
American passengers aboard the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak will be quarantined in Nebraska upon arrival in the United States, local media reported, citing an official from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The passengers will be received at the National Quarantine Unit, a secured facility on the University of Nebraska Medical Centre campus in Omaha, said Michael Wadman, the unit's medical director, reports Xinhua, quoting NBC News.

The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Tenerife, Spain's Canary Islands, on Sunday. A US State Department spokesperson told NBC News that the agency is arranging a repatriation flight back home for the 17 American citizens aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, at least seven Americans who were on the vessel are isolating at home across five states, and none show any symptoms of the virus, said the report, citing local health officials, reports Xinhua news agency.

The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Centers and classified the hantavirus outbreak as "Level 3," multiple sources told ABC News. The emergency alert is the lowest level.

Meanwhile, Spanish health authorities on Friday identified a second monitored contact linked to the hantavirus outbreak associated with the cruise ship MV Hondius after tracing a woman living in Catalonia who had shared a flight with a deceased Dutch traveller.

Spain's Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) said the woman is asymptomatic and was initially missed during contact tracing because of a seat change on the aircraft.

According to health authorities, the woman now meets the criteria for monitored contact under a newly approved national surveillance protocol and will remain under medical observation.