90-Second Read: Reported Hantavirus protocol breach at hospital forces 12 employees into 6-week quarantine

Dutch hospital Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 employees for six weeks after a protocol breach involving a patient infected with Hantavirus, officials say. A Dutch hospital has quarantined a dozen staff members following reports of a protocol breach involving a patient infected with Hantavirus, hospital officials said Monday. The hospital said the patient's blood and urine were not processed and disposed of using the strictest international protocols required for handling the specific Hantavirus strain. Janette Nesheiwat, family and emergency medicine physician, discusses the 16 Americans quarantined in Nebraska for Hantavirus, with one previously infected patient detailing his mild symptoms.

The breach occurred last week at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, after the facility admitted a patient tied to a rare and deadly Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship. At Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen, strict procedures have been followed, but not the strictest procedures applicable in the case of this Hantavirus. Hospital executives said they regretted what happened in a statement Monday, adding that they remain committed to providing care for any new Hantavirus patients who may arrive. The agency reported that two of the most recent cases have been confirmed and are from Spain and France.

Because of these circumstances, 12 employees will go in preventive quarantine for six weeks as a precaution, despite the fact that the chance of infection is small. Staff also realized on Saturday that the most up-to-date international regulations for disposing of a Hantavirus patient's urine had not been followed. Passengers evacuated from the Hantavirus-stricken Hondius cruise ship walk with their belongings after disembarking at Eindhoven Air Base, Netherlands, on May 12. Following multiple infection reports, the ship docked in Spain's Canary Islands on May 10, where the remaining passengers and most of the crew were evacuated under quarantine protocols.

Spanish government officials spray disinfectant on passengers before they board a plane after disembarking from the Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at Tenerife airport, May 10, in the Canary Islands, Spain. The ship, along with a skeleton crew of 25 and two medical professionals, then sailed to Rotterdam, Netherlands, The Associated Press reported. Health officials say the virus can be deadly but poses a low risk to the public.