Seventeen Americans and a British citizen were evacuated from a cruise ship experiencing a hantavirus outbreak and arrived in the U.S. early Monday. One American showed symptoms of hantavirus, while another tested mildly positive for the Andes virus. Both were isolated in biocontainment units during the flight to Omaha, Nebraska. The University of Nebraska Medical Center confirmed that the passenger who tested positive was asymptomatic. Meanwhile, a French citizen also showed symptoms during a repatriation flight and later tested positive, with her condition worsening. The outbreak on the MV Hondius, which docked in Spain’s Canary Islands, has resulted in at least nine cases, including three deaths. The virus, typically spread by rodents, has been identified as the rare Andes strain, capable of human-to-human transmission. Passengers from over 15 countries were evacuated in a carefully coordinated effort, with Spanish nationals disembarking first and taken to a military hospital in Madrid.
QUESTION: How might international cooperation be improved to better handle future outbreaks on cruise ships?
17 Americans from hantavirus-hit ship arrive in U.S., including 1 who tested positive
