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. There's no way to really know." Kornfeld says he initially tested "faintly positive" for Hantavirus before arriving.

Three passengers have died since April 11, and there are several other confirmed or probable cases, according to WHO, which has reiterated that the risk to the general public is low. 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 now, in retrospect, there is a question, could it have been Hantavirus? They're also conducting "in-depth interviews with each passenger" to understand their contact with passengers who were confirmed to.

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. Let me be crystal clear: The risk of Hantavirus to the general public remains very, very low," said Dr. Stephen Kornfeld was taking the trip of a lifetime aboard a cruise sailing across the Atlantic Ocean when he was called on to care for other passengers who fell ill.

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. 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. Hantavirus, a rare disease typically caused by exposure to infected rodents' urine or feces, can cause headaches, fever, gastrointestinal issues and respiratory problems.