New England travelers quarantined after Hantavirus exposure on cruise ship, no symptoms reported

NEW HAMPSHIRE, Mass. — Two people from New Hampshire are quarantining after they were exposed to Hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The pair, along with a Massachusetts man, were removed from the vessel during the outbreak and returned to the United States Monday morning with a group of 15 other Americans.

All three individuals are currently in quarantine and are being monitored by medical staff at a facility operated by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where doctors are closely tracking their condition.

Health officials say none of the New England passengers have shown any symptoms of hantavirus infection so far.

Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota weighed in on containment strategies.

“One of the things that some of us are concerned about is the apparent need to have everyone in some kind of containment center, and I think we can monitor these people very easily at home with testing or checking their temperature twice a day, assessing any symptoms, with the idea that if there were changes, then you could,” Osterholm saod. “Quickly put an N95 respirator on them that would stop them from transmitting and get them to medical care.”

Officials have not said how long the quarantines will last.

In New Hampshire, health leaders have also not released details about where in the state the individuals are from or whether they are full-time residents.

“DHHS is aware of two individuals with New Hampshire addresses who traveled on the MV Hondius cruise ship and have returned to the United States,” the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. “The two individuals are not in New Hampshire at this time, and we are actively communicating with our federal partners to assess whether they will be returning to the state in order to coordinate appropriate monitoring to ensure their health and that of the public.

They also said there is no current health risk to New Hampshire residents.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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