90-Second Read: 17 Americans aboard Hantavirus cruise ship may quarantine in Nebraska

Seventeen Americans evacuated from a cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak may be quarantined and monitored in Nebraska, officials said. The Americans were aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which has been linked to an outbreak of the rare Andes strain of Hantavirus. The World Health Organization has said the overall public health risk remains low, but the Andes strain is notable because it can spread person-to-person in rare cases involving close contact.

Three people connected to the outbreak have died, and several passengers who left the ship have tested positive for the virus. The cruise ship, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew, is expected to dock in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. Nebraska is home to the country's only federally funded quarantine unit specifically designed to monitor people exposed to high-consequence infectious diseases.

The National Quarantine Unit includes 20 negative-pressure rooms intended to safely isolate patients while preventing any exposure to the public. Hantavirus is most commonly spread through contact with infected rodent droppings. CDC officials later told reporters there is no mandatory quarantine.