WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that currently 41 people across the U.S. are under monitoring for suspected hantavirus infection.
They include passengers who were recently repatriated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius in Tenerife, and are now in ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, and Emory. Also, passengers who had left the ship and had already returned home before the outbreak was identified, and people who have maybe been exposed during travel specifically on flights where a symptomatic case was present, are under monitoring.
Some of these people are at home monitoring their health in close coordination with their state and local health departments, with CDC supporting those efforts.
If anyone develops symptoms, we've worked with their local health departments to ensure rapid access to testing and care,' said David Fitter, Incident Manager for CDC's hantavirus response, providing an update to the media.
He added that most people under monitoring are considered high risk exposures, and CDC recommends everyone under monitoring stay at home and avoid being around people during their 42-day monitoring period.
'We've emphasized not to travel. And across all these groups, our focus is ensuring appropriate health monitoring and quick access to care if needed'.
While hantavirus has some distinct characteristics, including person to person transmission, we understand how to respond to it and remain vigilant, Fetter said, adding that the risk to the general public is low.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had announced last week that an American passenger who was evacuated from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship has been tested positive for the virus, and another has been diagnosed with mild symptoms.
They were among 17 American passengers who were airlifted to the United States after being evacuated from MV Hondius off Canary Islands on Sunday.
The vessel arrived on the shores of the Canary Islands after weeks at sea at the center of an international public health response triggered by a hantavirus outbreak that has claimed three lives.
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