Americans from hantavirus cruise ship remain in quarantine to monitor for symptoms, CDC says

All 18 U.S. passengers who were on 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 Monday, the day they disembarked from the cruise ship.

Dr. David Fitter, incident manager for the CDC’s hantavirus response, said they’re still interviewing the passengers to determine how closely they were exposed to the Andes hantavirus while they were on the 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 that is behind the outbreak. One who had symptoms and was sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta has tested negative.

In a positive development in Nebraska, one person from the cruise ship who was initially taken to the Biocontainment Unit has been cleared to move to quarantine instead, the University of Nebraska Medical Center said Wednesday.

Dr. Stephen Kornfeld, a passenger on the ship, told CNN on Wednesday that while he had tested “faintly positive” for hantavirus, he has since tested negative and was moved from the Biocontainment Unit to quarantine.

At least seven Americans who got off the ship earlier 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 to ensure that they understand what is expected for them to monitor themselves,” Fitter said. That could mean isolating in separate parts of a home and wearing N95 masks.

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. Fitter said at the briefing that a blood test specifically for Andes 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 among passengers or crewmembers on board the Hondius. No Americans have had conclusive positive test results.

Three people from the cruise died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were exposed to the virus while they were visiting South America.

All of the cases involve the Andes strain, 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.