After spending more than four weeks at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, two former passengers from the MV Hondius have returned to their home states for continued monitoring under the jurisdiction of their local and state public health departments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requested the individuals from the cruise ship associated with a Hantavirus remain at the NQU through Sunday, May 31. Ten of the former passengers have now left the unit.
Travel for the former passengers was coordinated through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and each passenger’s local and state health department. The individuals did not travel commercially, and appropriate biocontainment measures were in place during their transport. The CDC also has been coordinating with impacted states on requirements for the passengers to continue self-monitoring at their homes.
Because symptoms of Hantavirus can take up to 42 days to appear, all 18 of the former passengers were strongly encouraged to complete the entire period at the NQU. Eight of the passengers remain in Omaha for monitoring.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine is one of 13 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response National Special Pathogen System.