RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – State and federal health officials now report that one person from North Carolina was on board that hantavirus infected cruise ship and was evacuated to a Nebraska quarantine unit.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed one person from North Carolina was on board and evacuated with all remaining United States passengers to the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit in Omaha. To protect their privacy, no further details will be shared about this individual. There are no current cases of hantavirus in North Carolina. The risk of infection in North Carolina remains extremely low.
“Our public health team is among the best in the country and remains ready to respond as the situation evolves,” said Dr. Kelly Kimple, Director of NCDHHS Division of Public Health in a press release. “We are in constant communication with federal, state and local officials and are prepared to assist the individual and protect the health and well-being of all North Carolinians.”
The CDC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are coordinating with state, federal and international partners. Over the weekend, all U.S. passengers remaining on board were transported to Nebraska for further assessment. Decisions regarding when these passengers will return to their home states will be determined by federal health authorities. Regardless of if they remain in Nebraska or return home, all passengers will be monitored for symptoms for 42 days after their last possible exposure. NCDHHS is communicating regularly with federal, state and local partners to ensure the health and safety of everyone in North Carolina.
Latest Developments
— The last remaining passengers on a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak disembarked Monday and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine. A French woman was the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American is suspected of infection after initial testing.
Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that concluded Monday.
“If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. He said citizens of the countries passengers are returning to should know “there is nothing to fear, the risk is low, this is not another COVID.”
Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the WHO. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.
Health authorities say it’s the first-ever hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.
What is Hantavirus ?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death. People usually get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice when exposed to their urine, droppings and saliva. The type of hantavirus impacting the passengers aboard the M/V Hondius is the Andes virus, which is the only type of hantavirus that can spread from person-to-person, generally through close, prolonged contact. The Andes virus is not known to occur naturally in the United States. Most hantavirus cases reported in the United States are caused by a different hantavirus and primarily occur in the western region of the country. Hantavirus cases are extremely rare in North Carolina with one case in 1995.
Symptoms of hantavirus can develop between four to 42 days after being exposed, and symptoms of infection can include fever, fatigue, deep muscle aches and in some cases severe respiratory distress. Currently, there is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection. Patients should receive supportive care, including rest, hydration and treatment of symptoms.
For more information about hantavirus, visit the NCDHHS hantavirus webpage or CDC hantavirus webpage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report