American passengers on cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak headed to Omaha

American passengers on a cruise ship that has experienced an outbreak of hantavirus will soon be headed to Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine said in a news release Friday that they have been asked by the federal government to "receive and monitor" U.S. citizens who are passengers on the MV Hondius. The passengers will be quarantined in the National Quarantine Unit, which is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the United States.

The news was first reported by CNN, which said eight passengers so far have been confirmed to have hantavirus, a respiratory illness linked to rodents that usually isn’t transmissible between humans. Three of those people have died.

UNMC and Nebraska Medicine said they are working closely with the Douglas County Health Department, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and federal health partners to coordinate the effort.

“We are prepared for situations exactly like this,” Dr. Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, said in a news release. “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.”

CNN reported there were 17 Americans on the cruise, although it’s not clear if that number includes seven passengers who disembarked earlier and have already returned home. Those people are being monitored and so far have not shown any symptoms of the disease.

The World Health Organization has identified the hantavirus strain that impacted the cruise ship as Andes virus, which is rare, but can be transmitted from person to person. This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with the infected person. WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low and continues to monitor the situation.

“We understand situations like this can raise questions,” Dr. Ash said. “People should know these facilities were specifically designed to prevent exposure to the public. There is no risk to the community from people being cared for in these units.”

He did not say when the passengers are expected to arrive.

Gov. Jim Pillen said that Nebraska public health officials are, "fully engaged with our federal and University partners, and my office is in constant touch with President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and their teams.”

The facilities at UNMC have been used in the past to quarantine COVID-19 patients as well as two doctors infected with Ebola virus in 2014.

Omaha Mayor John Ewing said in a statement that "Omaha is proud to answer the call."

"This is a city with state-of-the-art medical care, a national security infrastructure and a desire to help," Ewing said. "Cruise ship individuals and their families will find in Omaha a welcoming city that will provide excellent service. We have full trust in the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine."