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Here's the CDC's Plan as Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Starts Evacuation Process
Three people have died and 34 passengers and crew had already disembarked as countries coordinate testing, quarantine and repatriation, officials said.
On Sunday, the MV Hondius anchored off Tenerife, Spain, as authorities launched coordinated evacuations of more than 140 passengers following a hantavirus outbreak that has claimed three lives.
Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord was identified as the first case in April after the Andes strain of hantavirus likely originated from rodent exposure during birdwatching activities in South America.
Some 102 of the 3,116 passengers reported severe respiratory illness during the voyage, while five previously disembarked individuals have tested positive for hantavirus, according to WHO data.
Passengers are being ferried to shore by nationality for immediate repatriation, with American citizens heading to the National Quarantine Center in Omaha, Nebraska, for monitoring.
Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden criticized the agency's response as slow, while President Donald Trump defended U.S. control, saying "we seem to have things under very good control.