Three more former passengers who were quarantining in Omaha after being exposed to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship have returned to their homes.
After spending four weeks at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the three former passengers have returned to their home states for continued monitoring for the next two weeks under the jurisdiction of their local and state public health departments, the medical center said in a press release.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had requested the 18 Americans from the cruise ship MV Hondius remain at the quarantine unit through May 31.
Last week, five of the former passengers opted to leave UNMC and continue quarantining at home after meeting public health criteria. Ten still remain in quarantine at UNMC. They arrived in Omaha on May 12.
UNMC has said that none of the former passengers who have left to date have traveled commercially, and “appropriate biocontainment measures” were in place during their transport. The CDC has also been coordinating with impacted states on requirements for the passengers to continue self-monitoring at their homes.
The outbreak was a rare strain of hantavirus, a respiratory illness linked to rodents. None of the passengers quarantining in Omaha has shown any symptoms of the disease.