CDC spells out next steps after Americans exposed to hantavirus on cruise ship

The U.S. authorities is moving to evacuate American passengers from a cruise vessel linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with plans to transport them to a subject basal successful Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring, national wellness officials said Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the hazard to the American nationalist remains highly debased arsenic officials determination guardant with a aesculapian repatriation formation for passengers aboard the M/V Hondius.

President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the concern appears to beryllium nether control, pointing to the microorganism being hard to transmit.

"We person precise bully radical looking astatine it. It seems to beryllium okay. They cognize the microorganism precise well. They've worked with it for a agelong time. They cognize it precise well. Not casual to walk on. So we anticipation that's true," helium said.

DR MARC SIEGEL: HANTAVIRUS CRUISE OUTBREAK IS ALARMING BUT FEAR IS SPREADING FASTER THAN FACTS

Health workers successful protective cogwheel evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise vessel astatine a larboard successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

"We look to person things nether precise bully control. They cognize that microorganism precise well. It's been astir a agelong time. Not easy transferable, dissimilar COVID. But we'll see. We person precise bully radical studying it precise closely."

The outbreak has escalated implicit respective weeks, opening with a rider who became sick successful aboriginal April and aboriginal resulting successful astatine slightest 3 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

Cases are present reported crossed aggregate countries aft passengers disembarked successful Africa and Europe, prompting wellness officials to hint contacts globally.

Authorities successful Cape Verde astatine 1 constituent blocked passengers from leaving the ship, underscoring concerns astir containment.

HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS KEY MOMENTS IN DEADLY CRUISE CRISIS

An ambulance evacuates patients from the MV Hondius cruise vessel to the airdrome successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

Hantavirus is simply a uncommon but perchance deadly illness typically dispersed done interaction with infected rodents oregon their droppings, according to the CDC. While astir strains bash not dispersed betwixt people, wellness officials accidental the Andes microorganism — identified successful immoderate cases linked to the cruise vessel — is the lone known strain susceptible of constricted person-to-person transmission.

The vas is expected to dock successful Spain’s Canary Islands, wherever planetary teams are coordinating adjacent steps for passengers and crew.

A CDC squad has been deployed to the Canary Islands to measure imaginable vulnerability among American passengers and find monitoring needs.

Returning passengers are expected to beryllium flown connected a U.S. authorities aesculapian repatriation formation to Offutt Air Force Base successful Omaha, Nebraska.

Health workers successful protective cogwheel evacuate patients from the MV Hondius cruise vessel into an ambulance astatine a larboard successful Praia, Cape Verde, connected May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)

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They volition past beryllium transported to the National Quarantine Center astatine the University of Nebraska Medical Center for further monitoring.

Additional CDC unit volition beryllium stationed astatine Offutt Air Force Base to enactment wellness assessments.