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 ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, pinch plans to carrier them to a subject guidelines successful Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring, national wellness officials said Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nan consequence to nan American nationalist remains highly debased arsenic officials move guardant pinch a aesculapian repatriation formation for passengers aboard nan M/V Hondius.

President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that nan business appears to beryllium nether control, pointing to nan microorganism being difficult to transmit.

"We person very bully group looking astatine it. It seems to beryllium okay. They cognize nan microorganism very well. They've worked pinch it for a agelong time. They cognize it very well. Not easy to walk on. So we dream that's true," he said.

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

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

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

The outbreak has escalated complete respective weeks, opening pinch a rider who became sick successful early April and later resulting successful astatine slightest 3 deaths, according to nan World Health Organization.

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

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

HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS KEY MOMENTS IN DEADLY CRUISE CRISIS

An ambulance evacuates patients from nan MV Hondius cruise vessel to nan 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 pinch infected rodents aliases their droppings, according to nan CDC. While astir strains do not dispersed betwixt people, wellness officials opportunity nan Andes microorganism — identified successful immoderate cases linked to nan cruise vessel — is nan only known strain tin of constricted person-to-person transmission.

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

A CDC squad has been deployed to nan 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 nan 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 will past beryllium transported to nan National Quarantine Center astatine nan University of Nebraska Medical Center for further monitoring.

Additional CDC unit will beryllium stationed astatine Offutt Air Force Base to support wellness assessments.