90-Second Read: 3 passengers test positive or have symptoms of Hantavirus after cruise ship evacuation

Authorities announced the new cases as nations around the world repatriate passengers from a cruise ship hit by an outbreak and quarantine or isolate them. Health authorities say it's the first Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. An American who tested positive for Hantavirus on the cruise ship was taken to the Omaha campus' biocontainment unit and will be tested again. Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands.

One of them had mild symptoms and will be tested for Hantavirus. It wasn't until early May that the WHO said it was reacting to a suspected Hantavirus outbreak on the ship, which by that time was off the West African island nation of Cape Verde. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. A French woman was the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American was suspected of infection after initial testing.

While there is no cure or vaccine for Hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates. South African health authorities said on Monday that the condition of a British man admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg and being treated for Hantavirus was gradually improving. Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. Symptoms, which can include fever, chills and muscle aches, usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

The ship's captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance, and he called for respect for their privacy. Tedros of the WHO advised that returning passengers should stay in quarantine, either in their homes or in other facilities, for 42 days. The Hondius left the southern Argentine port of Ushuaia on April 1 and a Dutch passenger died on board April 11.