NO INFECTION – US authorities confirm absence of hantavirus cases
The US authorities confirmed on Thursday the absence of hantavirus cases in the United States after new negative tests on a passenger of the “MV Hondius”, while 41 people remain isolated and monitored.
US health authorities announced on Thursday that the American passenger of the cruise ship MV Hondius, initially considered positive for hantavirus, was ultimately negative after new tests conducted in the United States. This reassessment comes as several people remain monitored after the detected infection cluster on the ship.
The Nebraska Medical Center, where the man has been hospitalized since his repatriation, confirmed that the latest results ruled out any contamination. “Both tests, PCR and serology, are negative,” said Taylor Wilson, the facility’s communication manager. US authorities had decided on Wednesday to conduct new tests after initial results were deemed “inconclusive,” with one laboratory detecting a positive result while another concluded a negative test.
Currently no cases in the United States
According to Taylor Wilson, “we only received the results this morning.” The passenger, who showed no symptoms, has since left the biological containment unit where he was placed on arrival to join the unit hosting fifteen other repatriated Americans from the ship. Two other passengers evacuated over the weekend are also hospitalized in Atlanta, Georgia.
During a press briefing on Thursday, David Fitter, head of the hantavirus response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ((…)
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