UNITED STATES (LOOTPRESS) – Seventeen Americans and one British citizen living in the United States arrived back on U.S. soil early Monday after being evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.
The group was flown to Omaha, Nebraska, aboard a specialized repatriation flight coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after departing the cruise ship MV Hondius in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Health officials confirmed that one American passenger began showing symptoms consistent with hantavirus during the flight, while another passenger tested “mildly PCR positive” for the rare Andes strain of the virus. Officials said both individuals were transported in special biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution.”
The flight landed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha before passengers were transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has resulted in at least nine confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus involving passengers from multiple countries. Three people have died, including a Dutch couple and a German woman.
Health officials say patients connected to the outbreak tested positive for the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only known form capable of spreading from person to person. Hantavirus is typically transmitted through exposure to infected rodents, including contact with rodent urine, saliva, or droppings.
International Evacuation Effort
The MV Hondius was carrying nearly 150 passengers from more than 15 countries when it sailed from Cape Verde toward Spain after authorities approved an emergency docking plan in the Canary Islands.
Passengers began disembarking Sunday under heavy health precautions. Authorities evacuated travelers by nationality and placed them on repatriation flights to their home countries. Spanish passengers were flown to Madrid and quarantined at a military hospital, while French, British, and American passengers were separately evacuated.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions, passengers and crew were transported off the ship in small launch boats carrying only a handful of people at a time to limit exposure risks.
Images released by Spain’s defense ministry showed crew members wearing hazmat suits, respirators, and protective gear while escorting passengers aboard specially prepared aircraft lined with plastic coverings.
The evacuation operation was overseen by Spanish health officials and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization.
Officials Say Public Risk Remains Low
Despite the growing number of cases, health officials continue stressing that the overall risk to the public remains low.
“This is not another COVID, and the risk to the public is low,” Tedros said during a briefing Sunday. “People should not panic.”
Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya echoed those remarks, noting that several Americans who previously left the ship have already been back in the U.S. for nearly two weeks without developing symptoms.
Health agencies are currently monitoring passengers in several states, including California, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, and Arizona.
Outbreak Investigation Continues
Investigators believe the outbreak may have originated before the voyage began.
According to WHO officials, the Dutch couple who later died had reportedly spent weeks birdwatching in parts of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay where rodents known to carry the Andes virus are present.
The 70-year-old Dutch man reportedly became ill on April 6 and died aboard the ship April 11 before hantavirus was suspected. His wife later became severely ill during a flight to South Africa and died April 26 after testing confirmed hantavirus infection.
A German woman later developed symptoms and died aboard the ship May 2.
Additional passengers from Switzerland, Britain, and other countries have also required hospitalization or medical evacuation as the investigation continues.
The MV Hondius is now headed toward Rotterdam, Netherlands, where the ship will undergo a full disinfection process.
