Global health authorities are working to contain an outbreak of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.
The total number of confirmed cases associated with the outbreak is increasing, health officials said. To date, three people who were aboard the ship are known to have died of the virus.
More than 100 passengers remain on the ship, and the World Health Organization is monitoring their health. Officials said that the "overall public health risk remains low" but that there may be some person-to-person spread.
Health officials in multiple states say they're monitoring some passengers who have returned to the U.S. after being aboard the ship for potential hantavirus infections.
Latest Developments
May 7, 11:07 PM
CDC classifies outbreak as 'Level 3' emergency response -- lowest level of emergency activation
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) activated its Emergency Operations Centers and has classified the hantavirus outbreak as "Level 3," multiple sources told ABC News.
That's the lowest level of emergency activation and is typical for this stage. It signifies the risk to the general public remains low, but the situation is being actively monitored by the public health agency.
Activating the Emergency Operation Centers indicates that an emergency team has been set up to support a response. Epidemiologists, scientists and physicians may have been re-assigned from their typical roles to assist with the response.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud
May 7, 11:04 PM
Cruise passenger gives update as ship makes way to Canary Islands
One of the passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a cluster of hantavirus cases, says other passengers aboard the MV Hondius ship are remaining calm and keeping their spirits up.
In a statement provided to ABC News, passenger Kasem Ibn Hattuta said several doctors are now on board, which he said is reassuring to passengers, who are wearing masks and keeping their distance inside the ship.
"The vibe on the ship might’ve been calm with a bit of concern because we were worried about the sick ones, but now it doesn’t feel different than any of the other sea days we had before," he said in the statement. "Everyone is keeping high spirit[s], people are smiling and taking the situation calmly."
The statement went on to say: "We had several doctors join us on the ship before departing Cape Verde, which was also reassuring as we now have specialists on board, no one currently has any hanta related symptoms and we hope it continues this way."
He said passengers are free to share whatever they like online but some passengers have chosen not to post anything publicly because they want to maintain their privacy.
May 7, 9:58 PM
Trump on hantavirus: 'It should be fine'
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, said he has been briefed about the hantavirus cases tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship.
"It should be fine. We hope," Trump said.
He indicated his administration would be issuing a "full report" on Friday, but did not provide any further details.
“It's very much -- we hope -- under control. It was the ship, and I think we're going to make a full report about it tomorrow," Trump said. "We have a lot of people, a lot of great people, are studying it."
Asked if Americans should be concerned the virus may spread, Trump said: "I hope not. I mean, I hope not. We’ll do the best we can."
May 7, 4:21 PM
Congresswoman presses Rubio, CDC for repatriation plan for Americans aboard ship
Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya asking them to create a repatriation plan for the 17 citizens aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.
According to Bynum, a constituent of hers from Bend, Oregon, is among the Americans aboard the ship.
"On Thursday, May 7, my office made contact with a constituent from the district I represent who is currently aboard the ship. The information we received about the conditions facing passengers and crew is deeply alarming. These Americans are trapped in a dangerous and deteriorating public health situation, and they deserve more than passive monitoring or delayed coordination,” Bynum wrote.
The congresswoman urged lawmakers to assess the situation and develop a repatriation plan by the end of the day Thursday.
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson
May 7, 4:03 PM
Virginia officials monitoring ship passenger who returned to US
Virginia's Department of Health said Thursday that a traveler from their state who was on the MV Hondius returned home in "good health" and is being monitored by public health authorities.
"Our understanding is that fewer than 30 U.S. Citizens were on board the ship. A small number (<5) of other potentially exposed Virginians might be identified in the days ahead," the department said.
"The Virginia Department of Health is monitoring this situation closely and has been in active communication with our federal partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," the statement said, adding "generally speaking, we believe the risk to the general public to be low.
Virginia's statement brings the total number of U.S. residents currently under monitoring for hantavirus symptoms to at least seven people across five states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.
-ABC News' Chris Barry and Youri Benadjaoud
May 7, 3:56 PM
Spain prepares for 'isolated' evacuations as cruise ship approaches Canary Islands
Virigina Barcones, Spain's head of Emergencies and Civil Protection, provided more details Thursday about its plans for the MV Hondius when it arrives at the Canary Islands Sunday.
"They will arrive at a completely isolated, cordoned-off area. They will board vehicles that are isolated and under guard, and will proceed to a section of the airport that will be completely cordoned off. They will board the aircraft and depart. I am saying this so that the people of the Canary Islands, the men and women living there, can rest assured that there will be absolutely no possibility of contact at any time," she said in a statement.
Barcones added that no one will be allowed to leave the boat unless they are going directly to the airport to return to their home countries.
"The United States has showed its willingness to send a plane to collect its citizens directly. Negotiations with the United Kingdom are also at an advanced stage. During meetings held throughout the day, the U.K. has also expressed its willingness to send a dedicated flight to repatriate its nationals," she said.
-ABC News' William Gretsky
May 7, 2:27 PM
2 infected patients in isolation in Dutch hospitals
Two patients infected with the hantavirus are currently hospitalized in hospitals in the Netherlands in a special units with isolation protocols, Dutch health officials said Thursday.
One patient is at Radboud University Medical Center, in the city of Nijmegen, while the other is at Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, officials said.
Health officials said the patients are not putting any other visitor or patient at risk.
Three additional people in the Netherlands have been tested for the virus, including a 69-year-old flight attendant. All three were in direct contact with the victim who died in South Africa, health officials said.
The flight attendant is currently admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam awaiting her test results, according to officials.
-ABC News' Aicha Elhammar
May 7, 1:45 PM
A timeline of the MV Hondius' voyage
The MV Hondius left on its voyage April 1 from Ushuaia, Argentina.
On April 6, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger fell ill with fever, headache and diarrhea, according to the WHO. That passenger died on April 11.
The ship was between the British island territories of South Georgia and St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic, according to data from the ship tracking website MarineTraffic.
The ship sailed on for nearly two weeks, stopping near the island of Tristan da Cunha before reaching St. Helena, where the Dutch man's body was removed on April 24.
A total 29 passengers from 12 countries disembarked while the ship was in Saint Helena.
The Dutch victim's 69-year-old widow also disembarked and flew to South Africa, where she collapsed at an airport there. Two days later, she died from the disease, according to officials.
Another passenger aboard the ship, a German national, died on May 2nd, a day before the ship arrived in Cape Verde.
The next day, the WHO announced it was investigating a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius.
The ship is currently en route to the Canary Islands.
May 7, 1:20 PM
Texas health officials monitoring two cruise ship passengers for hantavirus
Texas' Health and Humans Services said Thursday that it is monitoring two residents who were previously passengers on the MV Hondius.
The department said the passengers left the ship and returned to the U.S. before the outbreak was identified.
"Public health workers in Texas have reached the two individuals, and they report they are not experiencing any symptoms and did not have any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship. They have agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks and contact public health officials at any sign of a possible illness," the agency said.
California, Arizona and Georgia health officials are also monitoring residents associated with the MV Hondius for potential hantavirus infections.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud
May 7, 12:57 PM
Suspected hantavirus case in France, officials say
The French Health Ministry issued a statement Thursday confirming that a French national has been tested for hantavirus after they displayed mild symptoms.
The unidentified person had been in contact with a confirmed hantavirus case who flew from Saint Helena to Johannesburg, according to the statement.
Eight other French nationals who were not passengers aboard the MV Hondius have been identified as contacts of a confirmed case after the infected person left the ship during a flight between Saint Helena and Johannesburg, according to the French Health ministry.
"Following the appearance of mild symptoms in one of these individuals, diagnostic testing is underway and isolation measures have been implemented," the statement said.
The news brings the number of hantavirus cases associated with the MV Hondius to six confirmed and six suspected.
-ABC News' Zoe Magee
