# UNMC to Monitor 17 Americans Exposed to Hantavirus from Cruise Ship  
**Published:** 2026-05-09T01:06:32.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omahas-unmc-to-quarantine-monitor-17-americans-from-cruise-ship-hit-by-hantavirus/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/unmc-to-monitor-17-americans-exposed-to-hantavirus-from-cruise-ship

LINCOLN, Neb. — [Seventeen healthy Americans exposed to hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean will be monitored at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's National Quarantine Unit](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omahas-unmc-to-quarantine-monitor-17-americans-from-cruise-ship-hit-by-hantavirus/), federal health officials announced Friday.

The passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship will be isolated in individual rooms at the [federally funded National Quarantine Unit, the only facility of its kind in the United States](https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/programs/tsqc/index.html), according to a news conference held by UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. [The Andes strain of hantavirus identified in the outbreak is the only hantavirus known to spread person-to-person](https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html), typically requiring close contact with an infected person.

"I want to make very clear these are individuals that were on this ship, that they have been potentially exposed but not known to be infected with hantavirus," said Dr. Angela Hewlett, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. She said none of the incoming passengers have exhibited any symptoms of infection.

The passengers will remain in private rooms with negative air pressure systems and en suite bathrooms at the facility in the Davis Global Center on UNMC's campus. Each room is equipped with exercise equipment and WiFi connectivity. [The ship departed Argentina on April 1 and made stops in Antarctica and remote South Atlantic islands before the outbreak was detected May 2](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599).

If any passenger develops symptoms, they would be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit for treatment and critical care. The biocontainment unit, [activated in 2014 to treat patients evacuated from Africa with Ebola virus disease](https://www.nebraskamed.com/biocontainment), employs a voluntary staff of specially trained physicians, nurses and infectious disease specialists. Both facilities were also activated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

"We are prepared for situations exactly like this," said Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine. Dr. H. Dele Davies, interim chancellor of UNMC, said the request from federal agencies reflects "the longstanding partnership between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and federal health agencies, as well as the trust placed in our teams."

[At least three people have died from the hantavirus outbreak aboard the ship, with eight total cases confirmed or suspected as of May 4](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599). [Andes virus transmission is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person, including direct physical contact and prolonged time in close spaces](https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html). The World Health Organization has assessed the risk to the wider public as low.

UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are coordinating with the Douglas County Health Department, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and federal health partners on the monitoring effort.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omahas-unmc-to-quarantine-monitor-17-americans-from-cruise-ship-hit-by-hantavirus/)
- [UNMC Global Center for Health Security information on National Quarantine Unit](https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/programs/tsqc/index.html)
- [CDC information on Andes virus transmission](https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html)
- [WHO hantavirus disease outbreak news and case information](https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON599)
- [Nebraska Medicine biocontainment unit information and history](https://www.nebraskamed.com/biocontainment)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omahas-unmc-to-quarantine-monitor-17-americans-from-cruise-ship-hit-by-hantavirus/.