Health officials in several states are now tracking passengers who traveled aboard the MV Hondius after a deadly virus outbreak linked to the cruise ship left multiple people dead and several others sick.
According to the New York Post, authorities confirmed Thursday that former passengers in Georgia, Arizona, and California are being monitored for possible exposure to hantavirus after leaving the Dutch-operated expedition vessel before the outbreak was publicly identified.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said two residents from the state are currently under observation but remain healthy and symptom-free.
The Arizona Department of Health Services also confirmed that one passenger there is being monitored and has not shown any symptoms tied to the virus.
California health officials declined to reveal how many residents are being tracked but stressed there is currently little danger to the public.
“There is no information that the California residents are ill or infected,” Robert Barsanti, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement to the New York Times.
“At this time, the risk to public health in California is low.”
The monitoring effort comes after the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius was linked to at least three deaths and seven illnesses.
The ship has spent days stranded off the coast of Cape Verde while officials work to manage the situation.
The World Health Organization and Oceanwide Expeditions expect the remaining roughly 150 passengers aboard the 353-foot vessel will eventually be allowed to disembark in the Canary Islands.
Several infected passengers have already been evacuated for treatment.
A 56-year-old former British police officer, a 41-year-old Dutch citizen, and a 65-year-old German national were flown to the Netherlands on Wednesday for medical care.
Health concerns escalated further after a flight attendant was hospitalized with a suspected infection after coming into contact with an elderly Dutch passenger from the ship who later died.
Officials also confirmed that a Swiss passenger who had already left the voyage earlier during a stop at Saint Helena tested positive for the virus on Wednesday.
While hantavirus is typically spread through exposure to rodent droppings, health officials said the strain connected to the MV Hondius outbreak is the Andes virus — a rare form capable of spreading between humans and carrying a mortality rate of roughly 40%.
Even so, experts have emphasized that person-to-person transmission remains uncommon and generally requires extremely close contact.
Countries around the world are now racing to identify and monitor travelers who may have left the cruise before the outbreak became widely known.
