American passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius have arrived in Nebraska for evaluation.
The passengers, one of whom is presumed to be a positive case, landed at Eppley Airfield in Omaha shortly before 2.30 am on Monday morning. There were 17 U.S. citizens and one British national, who lives in the U.S., on board the flight, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García told CNN.
Late last night, the US Department of Health (HHS) confirmed on X that two of the plane’s passengers were traveling in biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution.”
According to the HHS, one passenger had mild symptoms while another tested “mildly PCR positive” for the Andes variant of hantavirus.
The passengers were scheduled to be transported to a facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, before the individual with mild symptoms is taken to another site, the statement says.
“Upon arrival at each facility, each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition,” the HHS says.
In a statement, Nebraska Medicine confirmed that the individuals will be observed in the National Quarantine Unit.
“We are prepared for situations exactly like this,” Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, said. “Our teams have trained for decades alongside federal and state partners to make sure we can safely provide care while protecting our staff and the broader community.
“We are proud to support this national effort.”
The Spanish Ministry of Health told CNN that one of the individuals tested positive after an official from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control boarded the cruise ship to evaluate those on board.
“A diagnostic test was carried out and sent to two laboratories; in one of them, the result was considered by the U.S. authorities to be a weak positive, although for us it was not conclusive,” a statement from the ministry read. “The second test result was negative.”
Spanish officials also noted that the passenger had not shown symptoms while in Cape Verde.
The passenger who reportedly had symptoms without testing positive developed a “mild cough on May 6, which resolved after that day,” the officials added.
