Some hantavirus-exposed cruise ship passengers return home to finish quarantine

By Brenda Goodman, CNN

(CNN) — Several Americans who were exposed to a rare strain of hantavirus on board a cruise ship this spring have returned home to finish the second half of their mandatory six-week quarantine.

Five passengers have been released from the National Quarantine Unit, which is overseen by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Thirteen others remain in the unit, although some will leave in the coming weeks to complete their monitoring at home, according to a statement from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“These people remain symptom-free and have met the criteria established by public health officials to safely continue monitoring at home,” the CDC said Monday.

State health departments will continue to conduct daily symptom monitoring, as well as 24/7 continuous oversight of each person, and provide guidance through the remainder of the 42-day monitoring period, which will end June 21.

A sixth passenger was supposed to leave the Quarantine Unit on Monday, but their state has not agreed to the federal government’s monitoring requirements, so they were required to remain at the facility.

The CDC urged the public to avoid stigma directed at the people being monitored.

“Public health monitoring is a precautionary measure designed to support the health of those potentially exposed and protect communities. CDC is grateful to the people who were affected and who recognized the importance of this public safety measure during this challenging time,” the statement said.

Two passengers have returned to New York after the state agreed to provide full-time monitoring, according to the State Department of Health

One passenger, who asked not to be named for fear his family might be harassed, told CNN that he was taken home in a chartered plane with two pilots and three medical staff.

He said he was told that a state trooper was posted outside his residence in an unmarked vehicle.

“It is important to emphasize that there is no immediate risk to the public,” Dr. James McDonald, the health commissioner for New York, said in a statement.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available. Under protocols established to monitor their health and protect the community, a quarantine order is in place. Both passengers have agreed and are required to remain at their residences, have no contact with other people, and participate in daily monitoring activities conducted by local health officials. Plans are in place to transport them to appropriate medical facilities in the unlikely event they develop symptoms or need any other medical care,” McDonald said.

Two others are bound for California. One returned Monday, and another will return later. The state’s Department of Health said in a statement that it and its local partners are “fully prepared to receive two California residents who were passengers aboard the MV Hondius and have completed quarantine in Nebraska, and to monitor them for illness for the remainder of their monitoring period.” The state also said it has continued to monitor seven other people exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus, including another passenger from the cruise ship, for several weeks.

California is taking a “tailored approach” to monitoring “taking into account the situation of each exposed person as well as relevant public health guidance,” the statement said.

CNN’s Leigh Waldman contributed to this report.

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