Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Prompts 42-Day Quarantine for 18 Americans in Omaha and Atlanta Facilities

Eighteen Americans were placed under a 42-day quarantine Monday at medical facilities in Omaha, Nebraska, and Atlanta, Georgia, following evacuation from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius. The quarantine was prompted by an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on the ship, which resulted in three passenger deaths and multiple confirmed cases, officials said.

Of the 18 Americans quarantined, 16 were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where they are under observation in the National Quarantine Unit at the Davis Global Center and the hospital’s biocontainment unit, officials said. Two others, including one patient exhibiting mild symptoms and their partner, were sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for monitoring, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and multiple news outlets. The evacuation took place early Monday morning following the outbreak aboard the Dutch-registered cruise ship MV Hondius.

The outbreak on the MV Hondius has resulted in three passenger deaths and at least nine confirmed cases, with two additional suspected infections, according to Nebraska Public Media and NBC News.

Among those quarantined, one American tested mildly positive for the Andes hantavirus strain but remained asymptomatic while isolated in the biocontainment unit in Omaha, sources confirmed. Another individual at the Atlanta facility showed mild symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection. The remaining 15 Americans in Nebraska were asymptomatic after initial medical evaluations, officials said. In total, 17 U.S. citizens and one dual U.S.-British national are under institutional observation, according to federal health authorities.

The 42-day quarantine period corresponds to the maximum incubation time for hantavirus, calculated from the last potential exposure on the cruise ship, health officials explained. Patients will undergo several days of initial assessment at the facilities before individualized plans for home monitoring are made, according to CDC guidelines. The quarantine environment in Omaha includes separate rooms with no contact allowed between individuals or visitors, resembling hotel accommodations, sources reported.

The cruise ship departed Argentina on April 1 with approximately 150 passengers and was en route to the Canary Islands when the outbreak occurred. The hantavirus strain involved is rodent-borne and known as Andes virus, which is unusual in that it can transmit between humans but only after prolonged close contact with symptomatic individuals, officials said.

Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Admiral Brian Christine stated at a Monday press conference that the risk of hantavirus transmission to the general public remains “very, very low.” Both the CDC and the World Health Organization have emphasized that the virus does not spread easily outside of close contact scenarios, and no mandatory quarantine is required for asymptomatic individuals not on the ship. Instead, home monitoring on a case-by-case basis is permitted, officials said.

In addition to those quarantined, nine other individuals across six U.S. states are being monitored after possible exposure, according to CNN. The patients’ ages range from their late 20s to their 80s, with older people and those with pre-existing health conditions considered at higher risk for severe illness, health sources noted.

There are currently no specific treatments or widely available vaccines for Andes hantavirus infection, according to the New York Times and CDC information. Medical teams at the quarantine facilities are conducting ongoing evaluations and symptom monitoring to manage the patients’ conditions.

Following the evacuation request made by the federal government on Friday, the passengers were flown from the MV Hondius to the United States for specialized care. Meanwhile, approximately 24 passengers remain on board the ship as it continues to Spanish ports for further evacuation and containment measures, Nebraska Public Media reported. Health officials continue to monitor the situation closely as investigations into the outbreak proceed.