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Hantavirus live updates: Patient in France presenting 'severe form' of virus
The French patient is "in intensive care in a serious condition."
The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has risen to 11, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.
Passengers disembarked the cruise ship in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, to be transferred to charter flights back to their home countries.
On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; 15 are in the quarantine unit and one person who tested positive is in the biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American cruise ship passengers were flown to Atlanta for "further assessment and care," officials said.
Key Headlines
What is hantavirus and how does it spread?
Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.
How does hantavirus spread?
Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype from South America, according to the WHO.
Read more about hantavirus here.
12 Dutch hospital staffers quarantined after treating hantavirus patient
Twelve staffers at a hospital in the Netherlands are under quarantine after treating a hantavirus patient, Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans told lawmakers.
“Strict procedures were followed there, but not the very strictest procedures that apply in the case of this hantavirus,” Hermans said.
“This concerns the taking of blood and the disposal of urine from the patient,” she said. "… The chance that staff were infected as a result is small, but because we know that we are dealing with a serious virus here, [the hospital officials] said we are erring on the side of caution. We know this is a drastic measure with a major impact, but we are taking it nonetheless.”
-ABC News’ Othon Leyva
Cruise ship passenger speaks out from quarantine
Jake Rosmarin is among the passengers quarantining in Nebraska after disembarking the MV Hondius cruise ship.
"I was relieved to get off the ship and have a plan in place, and they were treating us really, really well here, so I can't ask for anything more than that," Rosmarin told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
Rosmarin said he is not experiencing any symptoms and plans on remaining in quarantine for the next 42 days.
"I think that is the best decision that's for me and for my family, and I know that here, I'm in the best care possible," Rosmarin said, adding that his room in the quarantine unit has air conditioning, an exercise bike and he is receiving at least three meals a day. "I can't ask for any more than that."
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'No sign' of 'larger outbreak,' WHO director-general says
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stressed on Tuesday that “there is no sign that we're seeing the start of a larger outbreak.”
He said the process of offloading passengers from the cruise ship was successful and he opened up about the mental struggles those on board were facing.
“Almost 150 people from 23 countries were on this ship for weeks, in what must have been a very frightening situation. Even some of the passengers were facing mental breakdown,” he said at a news conference.
“There were some people around the world calling for the passengers to be contained on the ship for the full quarantine period. Our view was that it would have been inhumane and unnecessary,” he said.
The director-general said that of the 11 reported cases, all are among the ship’s passengers and crew.
“There have been no deaths since May 2, when WHO was first informed of the cluster of cases,” he said. “All suspected and confirmed cases have been isolated and managed under strict medical supervision, minimizing any risk of further transmission.”
-ABC News’ Othon Leyva
12 US residents under monitoring by state health departments
Twelve U.S. residents are under monitoring by state health departments for hantavirus, according to officials. None of these 12 people have symptoms, officials said.
Seven of the 12 were cruise ship passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was declared: two are in Texas, two are in Georgia, one is in Virginia, one is in Arizona and one is in California.
The other five people were exposed to an infected individual during air travel, officials said. Two are in New Jersey, two are in Maryland and one is in California, officials said.
-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud