CDC Issues Quarantine Orders for Cruise Ship Passengers Amid Hantavirus Concerns

In Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. health officials have issued quarantine orders for two passengers from a cruise ship involved in a hantavirus outbreak. These passengers are currently being treated in a Nebraska hospital. The quarantine orders were signed by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a statement from the CDC. Violating quarantine orders can result in fines or imprisonment.

All 18 passengers at the Nebraska hospital have been asked to remain in the facility through May 31 as part of their monitoring period. During a call with reporters, Dr. David Fitter from the CDC mentioned that there are no hantavirus cases among the returned U.S. passengers so far. However, symptoms of hantavirus can take up to 42 days to appear based on previous outbreaks, explained Jodie Guest, senior vice chair of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Guest noted, “The 42-day period is dictated by the incubation duration of the virus, despite feeling lengthy for those under quarantine.”

The CDC reported that three additional hantavirus cases have been identified in France, Spain, and Canada since the passengers disembarked from the ship. The World Health Organization previously stated last Wednesday that a total of 11 cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise have been confirmed, including three fatalities. Eight cases have been verified through laboratory testing.

Hantaviruses generally spread when individuals inhale dust contaminated with rodent droppings. However, the current outbreak involves the Andes virus, which may occasionally transmit between people. Public health officials assert that the risk to the general population from the cruise ship outbreak remains low.