US passengers from hantavirus cruise ship to quarantine in Nebraska
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Washington: American passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, hit by a hantavirus outbreak, will quarantine in Nebraska upon returning to the United States, according to local media citing a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official.
The group will be housed at the National Quarantine Unit, a secure facility on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus in Omaha, said Michael Wadman, the unit's medical director, reports Xinhua, quoting NBC News.
The ship is due to arrive in Tenerife, Spain's Canary Islands, on Sunday. A US State Department spokesperson told NBC News that a repatriation flight is being arranged for the 17 American citizens on board.
At least seven other Americans from the vessel are isolating at home in five states, with none showing symptoms, local health officials said.
The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center and classified the outbreak as "Level 3" – the lowest alert level – sources told ABC News.
In Spain, health authorities identified a second monitored contact on Friday: a woman in Catalonia who shared a flight with a deceased Dutch traveler. She is asymptomatic and was initially overlooked due to a seat change. Under a new national protocol, she now qualifies for observation.