Formerly Quarantined Cruise Passengers Return for Health Monitoring
Passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak returned to the United States for medical evaluation, according to NPR. Sixteen U. S. citizens from the ship were observed at specialized facilities in Nebraska. Dr.
Stephen Kornfeld, an American oncologist who assisted passengers during the outbreak, was isolated in a Nebraska biocontainment unit after initially testing positive for hantavirus; subsequent tests returned negative results. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandated a 42-day quarantine for American passengers, including two who were hospitalized in Nebraska. A Spanish passenger evacuated from the ship tested positive for hantavirus while in isolation in Madrid. After completing quarantine, five passengers formerly quarantined due to potential hantavirus exposure returned to their home states for continued health monitoring, as reported by The Washington Post.
