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US Doctor Isolated in Hantavirus Outbreak
14 May
Summary
- Oncologist isolated in biocontainment unit after ship hantavirus scare.
- He volunteered to help passengers and is currently asymptomatic.
- This is the first reported hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship.
An oncologist, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, finds himself in isolation at a special biocontainment unit in Nebraska following a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. He had volunteered to assist fellow passengers who fell ill in April.
Dr. Kornfeld was among those evacuated and quarantined, but his nasal swab testing positive for hantavirus led to his placement in a separate unit. He reports feeling well and currently has no symptoms, despite experiencing flu-like symptoms earlier on the ship.
The World Health Organization has confirmed 11 hantavirus cases linked to the cruise, including three fatalities. The CDC is awaiting definitive test results, as initial international tests were inconclusive. This situation is the first hantavirus outbreak documented on a cruise ship.
