The 17 Americans rescued from the cruise ship stricken by a hantavirus outbreak landed in Nebraska early Monday, including a travel blogger who went viral when he broke down crying after three passengers died from the deadly virus.
Jake Rosmarin, a Boston-based travel influencer, shared a smiling selfie from his hospital room at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he and the others will be monitored by a team of doctors.
One passenger has tested positive for the deadly virus and a second is showing mild symptoms, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Jake Rosmarin, a Boston-based travel influencer, shared a smiling selfie from his hospital room at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Instagram / @jakerosmarin Passengers evacuated from the cruise ship MV Hondius, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak, arrive on a chartered aircraft at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska. REUTERS Those two passengers traveled inside biocontainment units during the repatriation flight from Spain’s Canary Islands, where the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius finally docked on Sunday. The flight landed in Nebraska around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
Each passenger will undergo a clinical assessment and receive the appropriate care and support based on their condition, HHS said.
It’s not clear exactly how long they will be quarantined, but the World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day isolation period for the passengers of the ill-fated vessel.
Just a week ago, Rosmarin shared an emotional video from onboard the ship after a third passenger succumbed to the virus, which has a 38% mortality rate.
“I am currently on board the MV Hondius. What’s happening right now is very real for all of us here,” he sobbed.
“We’re not just a story, we’re not just headlines. We’re people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home.”
The Americans were among about 150 travelers who were on a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica when the outbreak occurred.
