CDC Responds to Hantavirus Fears on Cruise Ship

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is taking action following a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. Staff members are set to meet the vessel in Spain's Canary Islands to rendezvous with American passengers. These individuals will subsequently be transported to Nebraska for a mandatory quarantine period.

This decisive measure follows alerts issued by the CDC to state health officials in Texas and New Jersey. These states reported potential exposure of their residents to the virus. New Jersey's health department confirmed it is monitoring two residents after they potentially encountered an infected individual who had disembarked from the ship. Similarly, Texas health services indicated that two residents returned to the U.S. before the hantavirus outbreak was officially identified.