U.S. health officials have announced quarantine orders for two passengers from a cruise ship connected to a hantavirus outbreak. These passengers are currently at a hospital in Nebraska. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, signed the orders, according to a CDC statement.
Quarantine orders, rarely applied, involve legal measures such as fines or imprisonment if public health instructions are ignored. The CDC noted that all 18 passengers at the Nebraska facility have been asked to remain there until May 31 as part of their monitoring period.
On a call, Dr. David Fitter from the CDC reported no hantavirus cases among the repatriated U.S. passengers. However, the disease’s symptoms can take up to 42 days to manifest, stated Jodie Guest from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Guest commented, “42 days is a significant duration for those in quarantine, but it’s set by the virus’s incubation period.”
The CDC also reported three additional hantavirus cases in France, Spain, and Canada since the passengers disembarked. According to the World Health Organization, 11 hantavirus cases related to the cruise have been confirmed, with three resulting fatalities. Laboratory tests have verified eight of these cases.
Hantaviruses typically spread through inhalation of contaminants from rodent droppings. However, the Andes virus, responsible for the current outbreak, might seldom spread between individuals. Health officials believe the cruise ship outbreak poses a low risk to the public.
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