American Cruise Passengers Face Quarantine in Nebraska After Hantavirus Outbreak

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to send staff to the Canary Islands to meet a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, with plans to escort American passengers back home on a chartered flight and place them under quarantine in Nebraska.

According to unnamed sources who spoke with CNN, a second CDC team is already heading to Nebraska, where the National Quarantine Unit and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit are located. These facilities are designed to safely isolate individuals exposed to dangerous pathogens.

Nebraska Medicine confirmed in a statement that it remains in close contact with national partners regarding the outbreak on the MV Hondius. “Our specialized teams are staffed and ready, if needed, to safely provide care while protecting our staff and the community,” the statement said.

The State Department is coordinating the repatriation effort with the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, and Spanish authorities. A spokesperson said the agency is in direct communication with Americans on board and will offer consular help once the ship arrives in Tenerife.

Meanwhile, New Jersey health officials are monitoring two residents for possible hantavirus exposure after an international flight. The individuals may have had contact with an infected person who recently left the Hondius. Neither has shown symptoms, and the risk to the general public remains very low.

Oceanwide Expeditions, which operates the ship, estimates 17 Americans are on board. The World Health Organization is coordinating the international response, though experts note that U.S. leadership has been absent from global efforts since the Trump administration withdrew from the WHO.

To date, there are three suspected and five confirmed cases of Andes virus, a type of hantavirus typically spread by rodents. Three people have died, and three remain hospitalized, though some are showing signs of improvement.