Americans on Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Headed to High-Security Omaha Quarantine

Passengers aboard the Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius will begin returning to their home countries starting tomorrow, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinating the return of 17 Americans. The evacuation marks a critical phase in a global health operation that has seen three fatalities and left 147 people from 24 nations under strict quarantine.

The vessel anchored off the coast of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, May 10. Due to the nature of the outbreak, the ship has remained offshore while health authorities conduct interviews and monitor the temperatures of all 147 individuals on board. Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, one of the Americans on the ship, described a rigorous screening process where health officials are closely tracking contacts and symptoms for everyone in isolation.

Once disembarked, the American passengers will be transported via a chartered plane to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska. The secured facility is specifically designed to manage high-consequence pathogens and limit public exposure. Notably, it is the same facility that housed Americans from the Diamond Princess cruise ship during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in February 2020.

While the facility’s history draws comparisons to the pandemic, health officials emphasize that the public risk from this Hantavirus outbreak is low. Unlike COVID-19, Hantavirus is typically contracted through contact with rodents. However, this specific outbreak has been linked to the rare Andes strain, which has shown a limited ability to spread through close human-to-human contact.

Because of this rare transmission risk, health officials are taking extreme precautions. Personnel will utilize masks and full protective gear during the removal and transport of passengers to the Nebraska facility. As the repatriation flights begin Monday, the World Health Organization and the CDC continue to monitor the remaining passengers and crew to prevent further spread of the virus.

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