Home / Health / Hantavirus Cruise Scare: Patients Land in Atlanta
Hantavirus Cruise Scare: Patients Land in Atlanta
11 May
Summary
- Two exposed residents arrived in Atlanta for hospital evaluation.
- Patients were repatriated due to a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship.
- Hantavirus risk to the general public is considered extremely low.
Two individuals believed to have been exposed to hantavirus have arrived in Atlanta. They were transported to Emory University Hospital on Monday for evaluation and care after arriving through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This repatriation effort is part of a coordinated federal response for U.S. citizens exposed on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
An outbreak of the Andes variant of hantavirus aboard the cruise ship has led to international medical response. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed these cases are among a small number of U.S. patients linked to the cluster. Sixteen other exposed passengers are currently being treated in Omaha, Nebraska.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the State Department and CDC, organized airlifts for exposed passengers. These individuals are undergoing clinical assessments upon arrival at designated treatment centers across the United States. Health officials stressed that the risk to the general public remains very low.
CDC teams are actively assessing passengers and coordinating contact tracing with state health departments. The agency has also issued advisories to clinicians regarding recent hantavirus clusters associated with this outbreak. Emory University Hospital has not released specific details regarding the patients' conditions or treatment plans.
