US CDC orders quarantine for two cruise ship passengers amid hantavirus outbreak

U.S. health officials have ordered two passengers from the cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak to be quarantined in a special unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The orders were signed by CDC acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. The two individuals are among 18 former passengers being assessed; the remaining 16 have been asked to remain at the facility through May 31.

The World Health Organization has recorded 11 hantavirus cases tied to the cruise, including three deaths, with eight cases confirmed by laboratory testing. The virus involved is the Andes strain, which can, in rare instances, spread between people. Officials say the risk to the general public remains low, but the quarantine of the two passengers is an unusual precaution.