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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 of those who were 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 began disembarking on Sunday in the Canary Islands, where many boarded charter flights to their home countries.
Sixteen American passengers arrived on Monday at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Fifteen of those passengers were being monitored in a quarantine unit and another, who had tested positive, was in a biocontainment unit, officials said. Two other American passengers were flown to Atlanta for "further assessment and care," officials said.
Key Headlines
- Minnesota monitoring person 'potentially exposed' to hantavirus, Health Department says
- Potential hantavirus case in Illinois not related to ship outbreak, health officials say
- American quarantining in Nebraska shares video tour of his room
- Passengers in Nebraska undergoing in-depth interviews, symptom monitoring
- 2 people being monitored in Seattle area
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 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
Maryland health officials monitoring 2 residents after possible hantavirus exposure
The Maryland Department of Health said it is monitoring two residents who were on an overseas flight with a MV Hondius cruise ship passenger who later tested positive for the hantavirus.
Health officials said the monitoring is out of an abundance of caution and that the risk to the public is very low.
“No hantavirus cases have been identified in Maryland since 2019. Andes virus infections have never been reported in Maryland,” the Maryland Health Department said.
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson
Spanish national tests positive
One of the Spanish passengers isolated at Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid has tested provisionally positive, bringing the total likely number of hantaviruses case to 11, according to Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia.
The passenger does not have symptoms, Garcia said. The passenger is isolate in good condition and is under constant monitoring, Garcia said.
“The other 13 passengers have tested provisionally negative. In the coming hours, we will know the definitive results,” Garcia added.
Ship sets sail after evacuating passengers, crew
The MV Hondius cruise ship has set sail from Spain after evacuating passengers and crew from 23 countries, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia said.
"Mission accomplished. Thank you to everyone who made this possible. We continue working to protect public health,” Garcia said.
The ship still has "around 30 people, the crew and two health workers, and they will need our support throughout their journey until they reach Rotterdam,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “... We will continue to monitor and support them in any way possible.”