An American who experienced the harrowing hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship shared insights into the intense 42-day quarantine at the nation’s premier isolation facility, recounting the final moments of the ill-fated expedition.
Jake Rosmarin, a travel influencer from Boston, described the voyage on the MV Hondius as a dream journey that rapidly turned into a nightmare when the virus tragically claimed three lives in the cruise’s concluding days.
“We visited extraordinary places and had experiences I never imagined possible. Everything seemed fine until the last 24 to 48 hours before our planned disembarkation on May 4,” Rosmarin shared with News Nation.
The MV Hondius was anchored in Argentina when 69-year-old Leo Schilperoord was diagnosed with what appeared to be an Andes strain of the hantavirus, likely contracted during his bird-watching excursions in South America before the voyage.
Sadly, the virus took the lives of Schilperoord, his wife, and a German woman who had been in close contact with them.
Rosmarin, among those aboard the ill-fated ship, documented the ordeal on social media after the vessel reached Cape Verde, where disembarkation was denied to prevent further spread.
“I’m currently on board the MV Hondius, and what’s happening right now is very real,” an emotional Rosmarin told his followers at the time.
Now back in the US and on his seventh day of isolation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s National Quarantine Unit, in Omaha, Rosmarin said there’s nothing to do but wait for the 42-day quarantine period to end.
Rosmarin, who did not contract the virus, said the 17 Americans at the facility must remain inside their rooms, with individual ventilation systems in place to prevent any cross-contamination.
“Most of the day, we’re just spending in the room with nothing for us to do,” he told News Nation.
The only human contact he has is with medical staff during the morning and evening check-ins, as well as virtual town hall meetings with the staff to explain the ongoing situation.
“Other than that, it’s me just trying to keep myself busy, eating three meals a day, and family and friends have sent puzzles,” Rosmarin added.
At least one American initially tested positive for the hantavirus, with a second showing mild symptoms, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Stephen Kornfeld — the American who tested positive — has since tested negative, with officials believing he only exhibited a false positive after coming down with flu-like symptoms on the cruise.
