90-Second Read: Hantavirus monitoring updates

Of the 18 passengers who arrived in the U.S., 15 are being monitored in the National Quarantine Unit and one is being cared for in the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. Over the coming days, clinical teams will conduct individual health assessments and work with federal partners to determine next steps for each passenger, including whether they may safely complete their monitoring period at home. One passenger will be transported to the Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while the other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. Two passengers were transferred to Emory University in Atlanta as part of pre-established contingency planning to ensure appropriate capacity is maintained in the Biocontainment Unit should additional passengers need medical care. Nebraska Medicine and UNMC will continue to share updates here.

The passengers are expected to land in Omaha early Monday morning. Nebraska Medicine and UNMC experts will join federal, state and local partners to update the community on Monday, May 11, at 9 a.m. The National Quarantine Unit is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the United States, designed specifically to safely house and monitor people who may have been exposed to high-consequence infectious diseases. Information will be added here as it becomes available from Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. They are being managed separately from other passengers during transport using appropriate biocontainment measures.

The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms. Nebraska Medicine and UNMC are working closely with the Douglas County Health Department, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and federal health partners to coordinate the effort. At this time, the individuals being monitored are well with no symptoms of illness. The quarantine process allows for careful observation during the incubation period of the virus while eliminating any potential risk of spread.

They will be monitored in the Biocontainment Unit out of an abundance of caution and follow-up testing will be performed. These individuals will be observed in the National Quarantine Unit, located on the campus of Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC.