90-Second Read: He was on the trip of a lifetime. Now he’s in a biocontainment unit in Nebraska while Hantavirus cases rise

Now, he's the only MV Hondius passenger in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after initially testing positive for Andes Hantavirus. A little over a week since the World Health Organization reported an outbreak of the rare Hantavirus aboard the Hondius, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, a global repatriation effort is still underway for the passengers and crew who were aboard the ship. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday that 11 cases of Hantavirus have been reported. Before the world became aware of the Hantavirus outbreak on board the Hondius, several people on the ship developed "a flu-like illness" in early April, the oncologist told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" on Tuesday.

All of the 11 cases are among passengers or crew on the ship, he said, with nine of the cases confirmed as the Andes strain of the virus. Visualizing the Hantavirus cruise outbreak in maps and charts As the American passengers undergo observation, authorities continue to test and observe people who were on board the Hantavirus-hit ship and those who have come into close contact with confirmed cases. And a Spanish passenger who is in isolation at a hospital in Madrid has tested positive for Hantavirus after a preliminary test, according to Spain's Health Ministry. They're also conducting "in-depth interviews with each passenger" to understand their contact with passengers who were confirmed to have Hantavirus.

And now, in retrospect, there is a question, could it have been Hantavirus? The ages of the passengers range from late 20s to early 80s, with older people and those with underlying health conditions at higher risk of severe outcomes. Federal public health partners are working with the team in Nebraska to regularly assess passengers for symptoms, Nebraska Medicine said Tuesday. Doctor leads Hantavirus quarantine in Nebraska Authorities across nearly two dozen countries are working to contain the spread of the virus, which can cause severe and deadly respiratory disease.

Mara Jana Broadhurst, clinical laboratory director for the emerging pathogens and biocontainment unit laboratories at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said Tuesday at a briefing held by the College of American Pathologists. Passengers in Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia had previously disembarked from the ship, and people in California, New Jersey and Maryland were exposed to a confirmed case while on international flights. Kornfeld is in the biocontainment unit, and the remaining 15 are in the quarantine unit.