90-Second Read: Americans on Hantavirus cruise ship reportedly to be quarantined in US

Meanwhile, the New Jersey department of health announced on Friday that it was monitoring two of the state's residents for potential exposure to Hantavirus following an international flight. The state said it had no current Hantavirus cases nor has any confirmed case ever been reported there. There are now three suspected and five confirmed cases of Andes virus, a type of Hantavirus that can sometimes spread with close, intimate contact but is typically spread by rodents.

A spokesperson for the US state department confirmed to CNN that the agency was organizing the repatriation effort alongside the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Spanish government. The spokesperson said the agency was "in direct communication with Americans on board and are prepared to provide consular assistance as soon as the ship arrives in Tenerife, Spain". The CDC alerted state health officials that the two individuals may have had contact with an infected person during an international flight.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship's operator, estimates that 17 Americans are onboard the vessel. However, experts say that US leadership has largely been missing from the broader global Hantavirus response since Donald Trump withdrew from the organization shortly after taking office. The sources indicated that passengers are expected to undergo quarantine measures there to help prevent any possible spread of the virus.