The U.S. government is taking steps to evacuate American Passengers from cruise ship linked to deadly incident Hantavirus outbreak. Federal health officials said Friday they planned to transport the individuals to a military installation in Nebraska for isolation and monitoring.
According to the World Health Organization, the outbreak began on the MV Hondius and, as of May 8, has killed at least three people and reported multiple cases.
Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said the situation appeared to be under control, highlighting how difficult it is for the virus to spread.
“We have very good people working on it. It looks OK. They know this virus very well. They’ve been working with it for a long time. They understand it very well. It doesn’t spread easily. So we hope this is true,” President of the United States explain.
“We seem to have things under control pretty well. They know this virus very well. It’s been around for a long time. Unlike COVID-19, it doesn’t spread easily. But we’ll see. We have very good people who are studying it carefully,” he added.
Hantavirus outbreak: Here’s the CDC’s statement on risks to Americans
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the risk to the American public remains “extremely low” and officials are still working on medical repatriation of passengers aboard the M/V Hondius. “The U.S. government’s top priority is the safe repatriation of U.S. passengers.”
- U.S. passengers on the cruise ship are scheduled to be evacuated via a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, from where they will be flown to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
- According to the CDC, the agency developed health recommendations for affected U.S. travelers, which were communicated by the U.S. State Department.
- Additionally, the CDC said it has sent a team of epidemiologists and health care experts to the Canary Islands, where the M/V Hondius is expected to arrive.
- “The team will conduct an exposure risk assessment for each U.S. passenger and provide recommendations on the level of surveillance required. An additional CDC team will be deployed to Offutt Air Force Base to support the public health assessment of returning passengers,” the agency said.
Starting with a passenger falling ill in early April, the outbreak intensified within weeks, eventually killing at least three people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cases have now been reported in multiple countries after passengers in Africa and Europe disembarked, prompting health officials to trace contacts around the world.
Cape Verdean authorities briefly prevented passengers from disembarking, highlighting concerns about containment measures.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease that is typically spread through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, according to the CDC.
