90-Second Read: More Hantavirus cases are expected, WHO chief says

Eighteen Americans who were aboard the cruise ship at the center of the deadly Hantavirus outbreak are being monitored at health facilities in the United States on Tuesday. A total of 11 people around the world have had either confirmed or suspected cases of Hantavirus tied to the cruise outbreak, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Ghebreyesus said there may be more cases of Hantavirus than the initial count due to interactions between passengers before the first cases were confirmed. One passenger is at a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska while 15 others are quarantining at the university's National Quarantine Center. Two passengers, including one who is symptomatic, have been sent to a biocontainment unit at Emory University in Atlanta, but the symptomatic individual tested negative for the Andes.

Over the next several days, passengers will undergo an initial health assessment and receive guidance on next steps from the CDC experts," said John Knox, a top official at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Health officials in Kansas are monitoring three residents who had "high-risk exposure" to someone with a confirmed case of Andes virus, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said on Tuesday, May 12. Based on our current knowledge of Andes virus, individuals are not considered infectious to others unless they become symptomatic." There are no suspected cases of the virus in Kansas and the risk to the public remains "extremely low. Brian Christine, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a Tuesday news conference.

That's the only type of the virus known to spread from one person to another. The risk to the rest of the country remains low, according to Adm. The number includes the three people who have died from their infections. Citing the CDC, the department said the three were considered "high risk" because they were in close contact with an infected person showing symptoms while traveling.

So, because of the interaction while they were still in the ship, especially before they started taking some infectious prevention measures... The three individuals in Kansas were not aboard the cruise ship and are not currently experiencing symptoms.