State health officials are on alert after a North Carolinian was evacuated from a transatlantic cruise ship following a deadly viral outbreak.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirms the traveler was aboard the M/V Hondius, where an outbreak of hantavirus has claimed three lives. That person is now being evaluated at a specialized federal quarantine unit in Nebraska.
Experts have identified the strain as the Andes virus, which is the only type known to spread through person-to-person contact. While serious, health officials stress there are no active cases currently in North Carolina.
The disease is exceptionally rare in the Tar Heel State; there has been only one documented case in state history—a Jackson County woman who survived the illness in 1995. State health director Dr. Kelly Kimple says the risk to the general public remains extremely low.
Returning passengers will be monitored for fever and muscle aches for up to six weeks.
