WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday affected U.S. passengers aboard a Dutch cruise ship hit by an outbreak of a deadly strain of hantavirus are expected to be repatriated on a U.S. government medical flight to Nebraska.
MV Hondius is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on Saturday or Sunday. There are 17 U.S. passengers aboard the ship, according to cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
“The Department of State is closely tracking the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean and maintaining close contact with the cruise ship staff, Americans on board, and U.S. and international health authorities,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said earlier in the day.
The U.S. passengers will be brought to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha before being transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska.
A team of CDC epidemiologists and medical professionals has been deployed to the Canary Islands to assess the exposure risks of the U.S. passengers and determine appropriate monitoring measures, the agency said.
An additional CDC team is set to deploy to Offutt Air Force Base to support health assessments for the returning passengers.
Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents, but in rare cases can be transmitted person-to-person. The CDC said on Friday it will distribute updated monitoring guidance and resources for state and local health departments later on Friday.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Ryan Patrick Jones and Mrinmay Dey; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Tom Hogue)
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