CDC Issues Quarantine for Cruise Ship Passengers Amid Hantavirus Outbreak

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. health officials announced quarantine orders for two passengers from a cruise ship tied to a hantavirus outbreak. These individuals are currently in a Nebraska hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, authorized the orders, according to a CDC statement.

Quarantine orders, enforceable by fines and imprisonment, are uncommon legal measures for those resisting a public health directive. The CDC noted that all 18 passengers at the Nebraska facility are required to remain there until May 31 for monitoring.

During a press briefing, the CDC’s Dr. David Fitter reported no hantavirus cases among the repatriated U.S. passengers. However, Jodie Guest, senior vice chair of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, mentioned that hantavirus symptoms might take up to 42 days to manifest, based on past outbreaks. Guest remarked, “The 42-day period may feel lengthy for those quarantined, but the incubation period dictates this timeframe.”

The CDC also identified three more hantavirus cases, with one each in France, Spain, and Canada, since the passengers disembarked from the ship. Last Wednesday, the World Health Organization reported 11 hantavirus cases linked to this cruise, including three fatalities. Eight of these cases have been confirmed through lab tests.

Hantaviruses typically spread when individuals breathe in aerosolized rodent droppings. Yet, in rare situations, the type involved in this outbreak, known as the Andes virus, might transmit between people. Public health officials assess the risk to the general population from this cruise ship outbreak as low.