Alert: American Who Was on Hantavirus Cruise Ship Tests Positive, as 2nd Passenger Now Showing Symptoms
One American who was on a hantavirus-ravaged cruise ship has tested positive for the virus, while a second is showing symptoms.
Both Americans were aboard the MV Hondius and were evacuated with 15 other Americans on board, according to the New York Post.
The infected passengers were in biocontainment units on the flight to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Department of Health and Human Services said.
The former passengers landed in Nebraska on Monday around 2:30 a.m.
Officials said one passenger tested “mildly PCR positive” for Andes virus — the hantavirus strain that led to at least three shipboard deaths — while it was not clear if the second passenger with symptoms had been tested.
“As of now, the airlift will transport passengers to the ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska before taking the passenger with mild symptoms to a second RESPTC at its final destination,” the Department of Health and Human Services said.
The World Health Organization recommended that anyone coming off the ship be in quarantine for 42 days.
The final passengers aboard the ship were due to be evacuated Monday and sent to their respective countries, according to USA Today. There were 94 passengers from 19 nations evacuated.
Passengers were isolated to prevent contact with the public during their evacuation from the ship to aircraft that would take them home.
A French citizen has also tested positive.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said the Americans returning will be given the option to quarantine at home.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning for U.S. doctors to consider a hantavirus diagnosis for patients who have the symptoms of the virus.
“Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, and muscle aches, especially in large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, or shoulders. Early symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue can be easily confused with influenza or other viral illnesses,” the CDC warned.
“About half of all HPS patients have experienced headaches, dizziness, chills, and gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Late symptoms of HPS appear approximately 4-10 days after the initial phase of illness and can include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Individuals are generally only infectious while symptomatic,” the CDC continued.
“Hantavirus disease can cause severe illness and can be fatal. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for imported cases, although the risk of broad spread to the United States is considered extremely unlikely at this time,” the CDC reported.
The CDC said the big fear is that infected individuals will contract hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a potentially fatal disease that targets the lungs and has a fatality rate of 38 percent.
“Andes virus, confirmed as the cause of this hantavirus outbreak, is the only type of hantavirus that has been documented to spread from person-to-person. Although rare, spread between people has typically required close, prolonged contact with a symptomatic person,” the CDC warned.
“No specific treatment is recommended for hantavirus infection; early supportive care is critical even before the diagnosis is confirmed. Patients with suspected HPS can deteriorate rapidly, and delayed care reduces the chance of survival,” the CDC said.
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