90-Second Read: Why were patients from Hantavirus-hit cruise brought to Atlanta?

Officials held a press conference early Monday in Nebraska to provide details on the situation, and they also touched on the status of the two people brought to Atlanta. That destination goes some way toward explaining why the two patients were brought to Atlanta. Working in coordination with local, state and federal partners, Emory University Hospital's Serious Communicable Diseases Unit has received two passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship following a Hantavirus outbreak onboard. Two people were transported to Atlanta from a group of 18 Americans who arrived back in the country Monday from the MV Hondius. Emory is among several regional locations across the country equipped to handle these cases.

Emory's Serious Communicable Diseases Unit treated Ebola patients during an outbreak of that infectious disease in 2014, and its proximity to the CDC allows federal officials to easily monitor them. Georgia's Department of Public Health said it was notified by the CDC that the two people had been transported to Atlanta, and the state DPH indicated that federal healthcare workers are involved in their handling. Federal healthcare workers are taking every precaution needed in each of these cases, and there is no risk to the public at this time. To stream 11Alive on your phone, you need the 11Alive app. They were then transported to Emory University Hospital afterward, arriving mid-morning on Monday.

The majority of the group, 16 people, went to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where the National Quarantine Center is located, and stayed there. According to their statements, the decision to transport two people to Emory University was largely made with capacity at Nebraska's facilities in mind. They described their biocontainment units as able to provide treatment for about 10-15 people, though only one person is in that unit at this time, while 15 others are being monitored at an on-site facility likened to a hotel. The two people sent to Atlanta were described as a couple, with one of them symptomatic. Emory University Hospital is part of the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center network within the federally supported National Special Pathogen System, which provides specialized capabilities for.

DPH remains in active communication with the CDC and other partners and will continue to do so as needed, as we monitor developments over the coming days and weeks. One symptomatic individual is receiving care in Emory's biocontainment unit, and one asymptomatic individual, identified as a close contact, is undergoing evaluation and monitoring.