17 American passengers aboard hantavirus-hit cruise ship will quarantine in Nebraska

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

May 8, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT / Updated May 8, 2026, 6:55 PM EDT


Seventeen American passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak will quarantine at a Nebraska facility that specializes in handling patients with highly communicable diseases, health officials said. The m/v Hondius is expected to arrive in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on Sunday at which point disembarkation and isolation plans will be implemented.

A team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet the American passengers there, an agency official confirmed to NBC News. And the State Department is arranging a flight back to the U.S. for them, a department spokesperson said Friday. The 17 passengers will be received at the National Quarantine Unit, a secured facility on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus in Omaha, said Dr. Michael Wadman, the unit’s medical director.

There, they will be assessed and any necessary quarantine measures will be determined, he said. They will also be monitored daily. All of the people being transported to Nebraska are in good health and are asymptomatic, but should anyone be diagnosed with the virus, they would would be moved to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, said Dr. Angela Hewlett, the medical director of that unit.

The Biocontainment Unit treats patients with hazardous communicable diseases in sterile environments that maximize safety and containment. It features an isolation unit, HEPA filtration system and specialized sterilization “autoclaves” with double doors to decontaminate waste and linens. Hewlett emphasized that the current outbreak is not at Covid levels.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flight-attendant-tests-negative-hantavirus-new-case-suspected-remote-i-rcna344191

[Norrrm]

1. Trump is actually taking care of this one, unlike COVID, which he ignored until it became a pandemic.

With Trump killing hundreds of thousands of Americans.

[RussBLib]

3. I wonder

1) I wonder what you mean by "taking care of this one" ?

and

2) could it be as simple as: hantavirus has a known history in this country and Korea, especially, and Trump might have heard of it, or his advisors told him this one was real, and deadly.

vs.

The Covid-19 virus seemed to come out of nowhere, or Wuhan, China, and Trump's suspicious nature assumed it was caused by people who do not like Trump, so he discounted the reality of the virus. He can't do that with the hantavirus.

But, oops, over a million Americans died from Covid. At least 7 million certifiable deaths worldwide.

https://russblib.blogspot.com

[Norrrm]

5. 1.... Treatment

[IronLionZion]

15. Over a million Americans

1/3 of total COVID deaths worldwide. Seems a bit disproportionate to our population.

[tavernier]

24. One out of seven is not one third...

What am I not seeing?

[IronLionZion]

26. I thought it was 3 million, but you're right it's 7 million

[barbtries]

30. if i had to guess,

I'd say he doesn't have even a clue about the steps being taken to - What!? - save people.

[Skittles]

36. Trump doesn't "take care" of a fucking thing

no doubt the experts are bypassing his usual bullshit

https://www.scrippsnews.com/health/cdc-sidelines-itself-as-hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-grabs-global-attention

[Ocelot II]

2. If you read something too fast it gets weird: I wondered how a ship could be quarantined in *Nebraska*

until I reread it the thread title.

[Lovie777]

4. The contacts alone will cause transmission..................

and only 17?

How many were on the ship including passengers and the staff?

[BumRushDaShow]

7. I think there were 150 passengers

3 died and 5 were symptomatic and confirmed positive. They are struggling with the contact tracing because some had left the ship while the infection was active but before people died.

The ship was a Dutch one.

[maxsolomon]

41. Only 17 Americans.

The Euros are going to their respective countries for treatment.

IDK where the staff are going. Everyone's going into quarantine.

[dutch777]

6. Seems extreme for a virus that while transmissable human to human it is highly unlikely. Hope in all that movement...

...the non-patient folk all along the way are protected. I would consider a tent city with MASH hospital dock side and keep it simple given these passengers are asymptomatic.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I think WHO confirmed that this variant was person to person

but the transmission was not like COVID or other high-transmission viruses.

[blue-wave]

13. Yes, the strain that was on the ship is the

Andes virus strain. It is the only one known at this time which can be spread from human to human.

[AverageOldGuy]

8. As I recall . . .

. . . the COVID pandemic started with 12 sick passengers from a cruise ship in California and then-President Trump assured us it would end in 14 days.

By the time he left office in 2021, at least 450,000 were dead.

And now . . . 17 from a cruise ship . . . Trump is President . . . and Dr. Fauci is retired.

[the nelm]

11. And didn't he initially try to keep that ship from docking in a US port?

My mind is a bit fuzzy on the details.

[LisaL]

17. And RFKjr is in charge of our healthcare.

NT

[Hugin]

23. It's a shame that I don't believe a word of this...

Except maybe that there were 17 Americans on the cruise.

[underpants]

10. I saw a report on MS NOW. The logistics of this are incredible.

Anchoring off shore. Zodiac boats and helicopters taking 150 people off board. I’m sure the staff will be hazmetted up. The helicopters? Are they going to carry them to shore via air lift?

[popsdenver]

33. Amazed that they are being sent to Nebraska??????????

There are probably all kinds of isolation wards in Hospitals in cities near the port.....quite possibly better prepared than one in Nebraska, and no plane to de-con........

Strange............

[underpants]

35. They are US citizens. I got the sense the Canary Islands

wasn’t crazy about them coming there at all.

The flight to Nebraska is fascinating. I’d think the plane has to have them sealed up or they are in hazmat suits but then I really don’t know.

[Aussie105]

12. While the world slept . . .

the known viruses and other deadly diseases were plotting a comeback.
They don't need sleep.

Oldies on a crowded cruise ship - the diseases go 'Yeah baby! Let me at them!'
The old adage applies - it is meant to be fun, it costs money, nothing will go wrong!

What next?
Replay of Mad Cow Disease, Bubonic plague, lethal flu varieties?

[popsdenver]

39. The most serious thing

is that it is contagious person to person........

[Renew Deal]

14. I say we take off...

Just kidding

[IronLionZion]

16. I have plenty of masks left over from COVID, just in case

MAGA might want to spread it around for "herd immunity" since that worked out so well last time.

I'm sure we'll be in very good hands with RFK Jr.

[Prairie Gates]

18. Old enough to remember Trump and right wing media going bonkers about that Ebola nurse

being allowed to go back to Vermont or whatever.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. But that "old enough to remember" thing might mean something else

because that original "Ebola nurse" fiasco happened during the Obama administration in 2014 (before 45), where Chris Crispy Creme was the one who freaked out, detaining an asymptomatic nurse in NJ, who had been treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, before returning to the U.S. to head home to Maine. She settled her lawsuit in 2017.

There was a parallel case in TX the same month where a nurse contracted the disease from a patient, and where the hospital had no corresponding protocols for adequate protection. That nurse settled her suit in 2016.

This mess prompted Obama to get all the various stakeholders together to come up with a plan on how to deal with these types of infectious diseases in the future. It was called -

PLAYBOOK FOR EARLY RESPONSE TO HIGH-CONSEQUENCE EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASE THREATS AND BIOLOGICAL INCIDENTS

(a/k/a the "Pandemic Playbook" ).

There had been all kinds of protocols put in place after the Anthrax "attacks" and subsequent "white powder in letters and packages" incidents in 2001, but nothing for hazardous communicable diseases

That document was issued internally in 2016, where when offered to the incoming 45 administration, it was promptly thrown in the trash.

[Prairie Gates]

28. I'm not sure what you mean: Trump and the right wing media heavily criticized Obama for the Ebola response

Trump had numerous tweets about it, including one calling on Obama to resign.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. The incident happened in 2014

45 was obsessing more with the birther crap back then (and before).

[Prairie Gates]

38. So? Trump commented on it as did the right wing media, which is what my post said

Before you (try to!) correct somebody, try to have straight what they're saying. There was no error in my post as to date or anything else.

[Blumancru]

19. What am I missing?

If they are on a ship, aren’t they already pretty well quarantined? Just drop them food for a week or two. If you absolutely have to bring them to the US, quarantine them at Mag a Lardass.
The MAGAts must be trying to kill off the excess population.

[twodogsbarking]

20. Please rate your cruise experience.

Was the staff courteous?
Were the premises clean?
Was the food good?
Would you recommend us to a friend?
How likely are you to return?
Are you still alive?

[barbtries]

21. Well.

there are still some adults left at the CDC. this is refreshing.

From all I've heard and read, hantavirus is not the threat that the novel coronavirus was and is. I'm relieved that the mad king's government is taking proactive steps to make sure that it doesn't spread. and, frankly, surprised.

[murielm99]

25. I haven't seen you in a while.

I hope you are staying well.

[barbtries]

29. Thank you murielm99!

I'm here daily but haven't been posting much. Events of the past week or so have just left me slightly devastated. How are you?

I don't think the way I'm feeling is very different from most people of good faith in the former USA, now, as I refer to it, the disunited states of dystopia.

that's why. I'm trying hard to be better and have some energy to engage.

I did make it to the MayDay protest, strike and march in Raleigh last Saturday; I think that was the last time I felt good and alive and hopeful.

[popsdenver]

34. Frankly

I am surprised that they weren't sent to a hospital in a Blue City/State, rather than Nebraska??????? Why Nebraska???????
THAT is really weird.........

[Skittles]

37. not what I have read

https://www.scrippsnews.com/health/cdc-sidelines-itself-as-hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-grabs-global-attention

[kimbutgar]

27. If I was a passenger I'd rather quarantine at Tenerife rather than Nebraska !

Tenerife is awesome better views also!

[barbtries]

31. I find it very interesting

that the person at the CDC approving this and presumably facilitating it, is not named in this article. Probably because they'll be fired for doing something good.

Both of the people cited in the article are at UNMC.

https://www.unmc.edu/emergency/faculty/wadman.html

https://www.nebraskamed.com/doctors/angela-l-hewlett

[LeftInTX]

43. This where they sent Ebola patients

In July 2014, representatives from the U.S. State Department visited Nebraska Medicine to take a closer look at the capabilities of our 10-bed Biocontainment Unit. In early September 2014, we successfully treated our first patient, Rick Sacra, MD. Dr. Sacra contracted the virus while treating patients in West Africa. He was discharged from our Biocontainment Unit in late September 2014.

We received our second patient, Ashoka Mukpo, in early October 2014. Mr. Mukpo was declared Ebola-free and discharged later that month. The following month, a third patient arrived in the Biocontainment Unit. Martin Salia, MD, was exposed to Ebola during his service treating patients in West Africa. Tragically, his disease was very advanced by the time he was flown back to the United States. Dr. Salia died a short time later. A plaque honoring his service and sacrifice hangs on the wall of the Biocontainment Unit.

The unit has been operational since 2005 and is one of 10 such units in the country equipped to handle an outbreak of this nature. Our physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and staff are specially trained and participate in regular drills on the specific protocols and procedures to care for this type of patient. "The Ebola virus is very difficult to contract," says Phil Smith, MD, founding medical director of the unit. "The risk it would pose to people outside the unit would be zero, and this is something that can be very safely treated without infecting health care workers."

For more information about special pathogens visit NETEC.org.

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources

https://www.nebraskamed.com/biocontainment/ebola

[ck4829]

40. Not good.

[LeftInTX]

42. Ebola patients were sent there...Nebraska has a biocontainment unit

https://www.nebraskamed.com/biocontainment/ebola


In July 2014, representatives from the U.S. State Department visited Nebraska Medicine to take a closer look at the capabilities of our 10-bed Biocontainment Unit. In early September 2014, we successfully treated our first patient, Rick Sacra, MD. Dr. Sacra contracted the virus while treating patients in West Africa. He was discharged from our Biocontainment Unit in late September 2014.

We received our second patient, Ashoka Mukpo, in early October 2014. Mr. Mukpo was declared Ebola-free and discharged later that month. The following month, a third patient arrived in the Biocontainment Unit. Martin Salia, MD, was exposed to Ebola during his service treating patients in West Africa. Tragically, his disease was very advanced by the time he was flown back to the United States. Dr. Salia died a short time later. A plaque honoring his service and sacrifice hangs on the wall of the Biocontainment Unit.

The unit has been operational since 2005 and is one of 10 such units in the country equipped to handle an outbreak of this nature. Our physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and staff are specially trained and participate in regular drills on the specific protocols and procedures to care for this type of patient. "The Ebola virus is very difficult to contract," says Phil Smith, MD, founding medical director of the unit. "The risk it would pose to people outside the unit would be zero, and this is something that can be very safely treated without infecting health care workers."

For more information about special pathogens visit NETEC.org.

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources