U.S. health officials announced on Thursday that there are currently no confirmed cases of the Andes hantavirus outbreak within the country. This outbreak, which resulted in three fatalities aboard a luxury cruise ship earlier this month, has led to 41 individuals being under observation for potential infection, with 18 of them quarantined in Nebraska and Atlanta.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clarified that the 41 individuals under monitoring include passengers who returned to the U.S. before the outbreak was detected, as well as those who might have been exposed during flights where an infected individual was present.
Dr. David Fitter, the CDC’s incident manager for the hantavirus response, advised that most of those being monitored should remain at home and limit interactions with others throughout the six-week observation period.
At the University of Nebraska Medical Center, 16 of the 18 passengers who were flown back to the U.S. are currently under observation. On Wednesday, the center reported that one passenger, initially placed in a biocontainment unit, had been cleared to join the others in a quarantine unit.
The CDC has not provided further details about this patient, who was initially reported to have tested “mildly positive.” The results were later deemed inconclusive, prompting a retest.
“Testing has been conducted,” stated Fitter, “but we are cautious not to preempt any announcements pending confirmation from the relevant jurisdictions or states regarding the test outcomes or the individual’s status.”
“What I can say is that there are no cases in the United States,” Fitter said on a press call when asked how many people had been tested in the United States.
The CDC has more than 100 staff members working on the outbreak, it said on Wednesday, after earlier criticism that U.S. health authorities had not responded quickly enough.
The outbreak of the Andes hantavirus, which is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases, was reported in early May aboard the MV Hondius, a luxury expedition cruise ship.
It has since killed three people: a Dutch couple and a German national.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday more cases were expected from the cluster linked to the ship, but stressed it was not comparable to COVID and did not pose a pandemic threat.
