90-Second Read: Doctor who helped ship take care of pas­sengers with han­tavirus is isolated in Nebraska medical unit

An oncologist traveling on the cruise ship at the center of a Hantavirus outbreak says he's the lone American isolated at a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska. The World Health Organization said Wednesday that a total of 11 Hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported worldwide, including three deaths. Health authorities say it is the first Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While 15 other Americans are being monitored at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Kornfeld was the only one taken to a separate unit after a nasal swab he took on the ship tested positive for the virus.

Public health officials say the risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low. Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people, though the Andes virus detected on the Hondius may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The WHO is recommending that passengers and crew from the cruise ship stay in quarantine, either at home or other facilities, for 42 days. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters Wednesday.

He's among 18 Americans under observation at medical facilities that specialize in treating highly infectious diseases. Stephen Kornfeld of Bend, Oregon, says he volunteered to help care for fellow passengers who began getting sick aboard the MV Hondius in April. Kornfeld said a nasal swab he took on the ship was later tested twice in the Netherlands. Kornfeld described his quarters in Nebraska as a hospital room with a comfortable bed.