One of 17 American citizens being repatriated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship has tested mildly positive for the virus, the US health department said.
“One passenger currently has mild symptoms, and another passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus,” the Department of Health and Human Services said on Sunday.
Both passengers are currently travelling in the plane’s biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution”, it said.
The US passengers evacuated from the Spanish Canary Islands, where the ship made a stop, will be taken to a specialised centre in the rural state of Nebraska. The person with mild symptoms will be taken to a second centre.
Upon arrival, “each person will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition.”
