American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a rare hantavirus outbreak have arrived in Nebraska, where they are now being monitored inside one of the nation’s most advanced quarantine facilities. The group, made up of 17 U.S. citizens and one British national living in the United States, was transported from the MV Hondius after the ship docked in the Canary Islands on Sunday.
The passengers landed early Monday morning at Eppley Airfield in Omaha before being transferred to Nebraska Medicine. Officials confirmed the group will remain under observation in the hospital’s National Quarantine Unit, the only federally funded quarantine facility of its kind in the United States.
Medical teams are closely monitoring the passengers for any signs of illness connected to hantavirus, a potentially deadly disease most commonly linked to rodents. The specialized unit is located alongside Nebraska Medicine’s biocontainment facility, allowing doctors to rapidly isolate and treat any patient who begins to show symptoms.
Health authorities confirmed that one American passenger has already tested positive for the virus, although that individual is not currently showing symptoms. A second American passenger is reportedly experiencing symptoms consistent with hantavirus and is under close evaluation. Officials also said a French passenger from the same cruise ship previously tested positive.
The outbreak has raised concerns among international health officials because investigators believe the virus may have spread from person to person aboard the vessel. While hantavirus infections are typically associated with exposure to rodent droppings or urine, the World Health Organization suspects transmission on the ship may have occurred through close human contact.
Since the outbreak began in mid-April, three passengers connected to the voyage have died, and several others have become infected. Public health experts continue working to determine how the virus spread so rapidly in the confined cruise ship environment.
The incident comes as federal health officials are also tracking a separate illness outbreak aboard another cruise vessel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently monitoring a norovirus outbreak on the Caribbean Princess, a Princess Cruises ship that departed Fort Lauderdale on April 28.
According to the CDC, more than 110 people aboard the Caribbean Princess have reported symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. The ship arrived at Port Canaveral near Orlando early Monday morning following its nearly two-week voyage.
