17 Americans from hantavirus-hit cruise flying to U.S., HHS says

May 11 (UPI) -- Seventeen Americans evacuated from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship docked off Spain's Canary Islands were being airlifted to the United States late Sunday, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

One American experiencing mild symptoms and another who tested "mildly PCR positive" for the Andes strain of hantavirus were traveling in the plane's biocontainment units, according to the HHS statement, which said the move was "out of an abundance of caution."

The flight comes after the cruise ship Hondius docked early Sunday at Tenerife, one of Spain's Canary Islands, where the nearly 150 passengers and crew from nearly two dozen nations disembarked the vessel.

Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions had said that after disembarking, all individuals were to immediately board awaiting aircraft for repatriation.

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Local authorities, the World Health Organization and some international governments led the disembarkation process, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.

The Americans are being airlifted to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response's Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, HHS said.

From Omaha, the passenger experiencing mild symptoms will be flown to a second RESPTC facility.

"Upon arrival at each facility, each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition," HHS said.

A total off six confirmed and two probable hantavirus cases have been connected to the vessel. Two deaths are among the confirmed cases.

The vessel first departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1.

Though the first known passenger became ill April 6 and died April 11, the outbreak was not identified until May 2 -- about a week after 30 people, including six Americans and the body of one of the deceased, disembarked at St. Helena on April 24.

After the outbreak was declared, the vessel anchored off Cape Verde, where two symptomatic confirmed patients and one previously suspected case were removed by two evacuation flights.

On Wednesday, the ship departed for the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The Dutch-based Oceanwide Expeditions said that after taking on necessary supplies, the Hondius will transit to the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with its remaining crew. The trip is expected to take five days.