Washington, United States. U.S. health officials said on Thursday there were no confirmed U.S. cases tied to an Andes hantavirus outbreak that killed three people aboard a luxury cruise ship this month. Officials said 41 people are being monitored for possible infection, including 18 quarantined in Nebraska and Atlanta.
Monitoring and quarantine measures
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the 41 people include passengers who returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified and others who may have been exposed on flights where a symptomatic case was present.
Most of those being monitored should stay at home and avoid contact with others during the six-week monitoring period, said Dr. David Fitter, incident manager for the CDC’s hantavirus response.
Fitter did not provide an update on the 18 people in quarantine. The University of Nebraska Medical Center said on Tuesday that one passenger initially placed in a biocontainment unit had been medically cleared to move to a quarantine unit with the others.
Asked on a press call how many people had been tested in the United States, Fitter said, “What I can say is that there are no cases in the United States.”
Outbreak details and international assessment
The Andes hantavirus outbreak was reported in early May aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship. The virus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases.
The outbreak has killed three people, a Dutch couple and a German national.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that more cases were expected from the cluster linked to the ship, but said it was not comparable to COVID and did not pose a pandemic threat.
How are health officials monitoring those who may have been exposed during travel?