Contagion Live The University of Nebraska’s Mark Rupp, MD, weighs in on his institution’s facilities where passengers are being housed during the quarantine protocol, insights on how they are monitored, and their current medical conditions.
As of this morning, there are now 11 people infected with the hantavirus (Andes species) from the cruise ship. The Andes virus is the only hantavirus species known for limited human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets.1 The hantavirus is classified as a high-consequence infectious diseases (HCID) and maintains a high mortality rate—estimates range from 20-40%.
Eighteen passengers from that cruise ship linked to the hantavirus outbreak have returned to the United States and are being monitored at specialized medical units. Sixteen passengers, including one who tested positive for the virus, are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and remain asymptomatic, while 2 others are being monitored at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where one individual is currently experiencing symptoms, according to health officials.
In Nebraska, these individuals will be observed in the National Quarantine Unit (NQU), which is housed inside the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center, and located on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Nebraska Medicine and UNMC are working closely with the Douglas County Health Department, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and federal health partners to coordinate the effort.