2 New Hampshire residents were on hantavirus cruise ship
Two New Hampshire residents who were on board the cruise ship that saw a hantavirus outbreak are back in the United States, the state's Department of Health and Human Services said Monday.
"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 department 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."
The agency added that there is no current health risk to New Hampshire residents.
A total of seventeen Americans and a dual British-U.S. citizen on board the ship arrived in the United States on Monday, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services said. One has tested "mildly PCR positive" for the Andes virus strain, the department said, and another has begun showing symptoms.
Most have been taken to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Boston-based travel vlogger Jake Rosmarin, who was also on the ship, shared to Instagram that he was at the quarantine unit and "okay and feeling well."
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is preparing to work with the Centers for Disease Control in case any passengers are transferred to the state, but the agency has not been told yet by the CDC to expect any patients.
Hantavirus is part of a family of rare viruses that are typically passed to humans through contact with rodent waste or saliva. Person-to-person transmission can occur through the Andes virus strain that was present on the cruise ship. There have been at least 10 cases of hantavirus linked to the cruise ship, including three deaths.
