All 18 U.S. passengers who were on board the MV Hondius cruise ship remain in federal quarantine as doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figure out when they can safely go home.
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At a briefing Wednesday, the CDC said it is encouraging the passengers to stay in the quarantine until the end of the 42-day incubation period, which started on May 11, the day they disembarked from the cruise ship.
The CDC’s Dr. David Fitter, incident manager for the agency’s hantavirus response, said they’re still in the process of interviewing each of the passengers to determine how closely they were exposed to the Andes hantavirus while on board the cruise ship. That process is expected to last at least through Thursday.
“Currently, there are no state or federal quarantine orders that have been drawn,” Fitter said. “The goal is to work with them for the best possible place for them.”
Two of the passengers have been tested for the Andes strain of hantavirus that’s behind the outbreak. One who had symptoms and was sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has tested negative.
A CDC lab in Atlanta is now analyzing a blood sample taken from a second passenger in the National Quarantine Center in Omaha, Nebraska, after an initial test showed a “mildly positive” result for the Andes hantavirus. Results from that serology test are expected within the next day or two, Fitter said.
At least seven Americans who previously got off the ship are said to be quarantining at home in multiple states, where health departments have said they are in regular contact with passengers as they monitor for symptoms.
“We are working very closely with state and local health departments and the passengers that are home,” Fitter said, “to ensure that they understand what is expected for them to monitor themselves.” That could mean isolating in separate parts of a house and wearing an N95 mask.
Citing privacy concerns, the CDC officials declined to comment on how many people in the U.S. — passengers or people they may have come in contact with — are being monitored at home.
For now, the CDC recommends testing only for people who have been exposed to hantavirus and are having symptoms. During the briefing, Fitter said there’s a blood test specifically for Andes that has been validated, as well as a PCR test, although it hasn’t been used for patient care yet.
As of Wednesday, 11 hantavirus cases have been reported worldwide, with eight cases confirmed. All were passengers or crew members on board the MV Hondius. No Americans have had a conclusive positive test result.
Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were exposed to the virus while visiting South America.
All of the cases involve the Andes strain of hantavirus, the only strain known to be able to pass from person to person.
While there are some reports of people catching it through casual contact, most scientists say it doesn’t spread easily. Most people with hantavirus, including the Andes strain, become infected after having breathed in or otherwise ingested particles from the urine or droppings from rodents that carry the virus.
Large outbreaks are extremely rare; just 2% to 5% of all Andes cases are estimated to stem from person-to-person transmission.