American contracts rare and potentially deadly hantavirus infection

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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 on Sunday.

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“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.

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Both passengers are currently travelling in the plane’s biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” it said.

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The US passengers evacuated from the Spanish Canary Islands, where the ship made a stop, will be taken to a specialized center in the rural state of Nebraska. The person with mild symptoms will be taken to a second center.

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Upon arrival, “each person will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition.”

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Three passengers from the MV Hondius have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents.

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AFP

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