90-Second Read: 17 Americans on cruise ship struck by Hantavirus return to U.S.

17 Americans returned early Monday morning from the cruise ship that was struck by the Hantavirus. Health officials say the Andes strain of Hantavirus connected to the outbreak can spread person-to-person in rare circumstances. The World Health Organization said the outbreak marks the first known Hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship. Seventeen American passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius arrived in Nebraska early Monday for quarantine and medical monitoring. A plane carrying 17 American passengers landed in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday after departing from Spain's Canary Islands, where the MV Hondius had docked during a large international evacuation effort.

Officials said the passenger who tested positive would be taken to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, while the remaining passengers would undergo evaluation and monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit. The outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship has triggered a worldwide response as countries work to repatriate citizens and isolate potentially exposed passengers. Officials continue to recommend active health monitoring for passengers after they return home. Their plane landed in Omaha, Nebraska, and they were transported to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medica Center/Nebraska Medicine. Passengers were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, home to a federally funded quarantine and biocontainment facility used during previous Ebola and COVID-19 responses, according to The Associated Press.

Another traveler began experiencing mild symptoms during the flight to Nebraska. Symptoms can include fever, chills and muscle aches and may appear weeks after exposure. WHO leaders and federal officials have emphasized that the outbreak is not considered a major threat to the general public. The risk to the public is low." Information for the above story came from a report by The Associated Press (linked) and other national reports. This is not another COVID," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday.

Video from Omaha showed passengers arriving overnight before boarding buses that transported them from the airport to the medical center. The virus is more commonly associated with exposure to rodent droppings.