Emory monitors 2 cruise passengers linked to hantavirus outbreak
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Two passengers who were aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius at the center of a hantavirus outbreak are being monitored at Emory University Hospital's specialized biocontainment unit.
Why it matters: Emory's Serious Communicable Diseases Unit in Atlanta is among a few facilities in the U.S. that are equipped to treat patients with dangerous infectious diseases.
Reality check: "Federal healthcare workers are taking every precaution needed in each of these cases, and there is no risk to the public at this time," a Georgia Department of Public Health spokesperson said.
- Health experts have repeatedly stressed that the hantavirus outbreak is not expected to become a COVID-like pandemic, Axios' Avery Lotz reports.
Catch up quick: A CDC-chartered flight carrying two American passengers landed Monday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
- One passenger was symptomatic and is receiving care at the biocontainment unit, according to Emory officials.
- The second passenger, identified as a close contact, is asymptomatic and undergoing evaluation and monitoring.
The patients were transported to the SCDU, a high-security isolation facility designed for pathogens that require strict infection-control measures.
Zoom out: Two other Georgia residents who were aboard the ship are asymptomatic and are following CDC guidance at home, Fox 5 reports.
Flashback: Built in 2002, the unit is one of the country's first biocontainment facilities.
- In 2014, the SCDU became internationally known for treating patients airlifted from Liberia during the West Africa Ebola outbreak.
Zoom in: Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease typically linked to exposure to rodents or rodent droppings.
- Health officials believe passengers aboard the Hondius were infected with the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare variant associated with documented human-to-human transmission.
What's next: Health officials said more information would be released as appropriate.