May 10: Hantavirus cruise ship evacuated
Digest more
A San Francisco Bay Area resident who was on a passenger on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak is being monitored, health officials said.
Once the MV Hondius anchored near Tenerife, passengers started disembarking in small groups to begin their quarantines.
The individual linked to the first known case has been named locally while investigators trace the global spread of the disease.
Schumer demanded the rehiring of fired CDC cruise ship inspectors and port health station staff to "track Americans exposed to hantavirus."
The World Health Organization identified this outbreak early on. But experts worry spillover of pathogens from animals to humans will only increase.
But it has been hard to attract interest in medical interventions for viruses that have not been considered a top public health priority, scientists say.
The WHO said Thursday it will "continue to work with all relevant governments and partners to provide care for those who are affected."
In 2002, Zermeño found out he contracted hantavirus after cleaning the family house following the death of his mother and sister. He had been exposed to rodent droppings and became infected.