American passengers from a cruise ship that experienced a hantavirus outbreak arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha early Monday morning as part of a coordinated effort to assess, contain and treat any potential infections.
One passenger who tested positive for the virus, but does not have symptoms, was admitted to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit for follow-up testing and monitoring. The other 15 passengers are housed at the National Quarantine Unit for assessment.
The passengers could be monitored in Omaha for up to 42 days. They range in age from late 20s to early 80s.
The quarantine unit at UNMC is designed for individuals who need to be monitored but not necessarily treated. The biocontainment unit, on the other hand, is a hospital-based care space, Dr. Angela Hewlett, medical director of Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, said at a news conference Monday morning.
“We do have one individual who, as you know, was taken to the biocontainment unit early this morning, and happy to report that they are doing well,” Hewlett said. “Actually, they currently do not have any symptoms and have a good appetite, although they’re very tired, understandably, but it’s been a really long journey for these folks.”
Hantavirus is an illness typically tied to rodents, but it may have passed from human to human aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Three ship passengers have died since April 11.
WHO has identified the hantavirus strain that impacted the cruise ship as Andes virus, which is rare and usually limited to people who have close contact with the infected person. WHO currently assesses the risk to the global population from this event as low and continues to monitor the situation.
Two other passengers from the cruise ship are being monitored at Emory University in Atlanta.
UNMC was chosen as the quarantine and assessment site for passengers “due to its extensive expertise in handling special pathogens,” said John Knox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
The Medical Center is one of 13 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers and holds the only federally funded National Quarantine Unit. The facilities at UNMC have been used in the past to quarantine COVID-19 patients as well as two doctors infected with Ebola virus in 2014.
Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. said in a statement that city leadership has been briefed about the passengers arriving in Omaha.
“We are confident in the quality of care that these individuals will receive along with the protocols to keep healthcare workers safe,” Ewing said.
In a social media post, Gov, Jim Pillen said state officials are “taking this new threat of the hantavirus very seriously — and that’s why the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s biocontainment unit is being called into action.”
“In coordination with my Administration, the Nebraskans who run the National Quarantine Unit are immensely well-prepared and working overtime to step up and help contain this virus to ensure that it doesn’t spread,” Pillen said.