Inside Nebraska quarantine unit monitoring hantavirus cruise passengers

Americans evacuated from the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak are heading to a quarantine center in Nebraska where they will be monitored for symptoms.

After the MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife, Spain, on May 10, the 17 American passengers disembarked the ship and then boarded a repatriation flight back to the United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

Two of the American passengers – including one who tested positive for hantavirus and another with mild symptoms – are traveling in the plane's biocontainment units "out of an abundance of caution," HHS said.

Three people who traveled on the MV Hondius, a cruise ship run by Netherlands-based operator Oceanwide Expeditions, have died from hantavirus. At least 10 people have been either confirmed or suspected to be infected, though that number could change after the final passengers are evacuated on May 11.

Hantavirus is typically transmitted to people through contact with rodents' urine, feces or saliva. The strain at the center of the outbreak has been confirmed as the Andes virus, which is believed to spread person-to-person, according to the World Health Organization.

Here's what to know about the Nebraska quarantine unit set to house the U.S. evacuees.

Where are Americans from MV Hondius going for quarantine?

The American cruise passengers are being transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. There, they will stay at the National Quarantine Unit, where they will be monitored for symptoms, officials said.

The National Quarantine Unit is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the country, according to UNMC's website.

What is the National Quarantine Unit like?

The center has 20 single occupancy rooms equipped with negative air pressure systems, en suite bathroom facilities and exercise equipment. They also have Wi-Fi for patients requiring longer stays, according to the center.

"We have protocols in the quarantine unit that provide for safe care of these of these persons, including just all the activities of daily living so that they can you know have a comfortable stay but also have it in an area that's protected and limits spread of the pathogen," Dr. Michael Wadman, director of the National Quarantine Unit, said at a May 8 news conference.

The Nebraska Medical Center also has a Biocontainment Unit, which will treat passengers who have been diagnosed with hantavirus or are exhibiting symptoms, officials said.

Dr. Angela Hewlett, director of the Biocontainment Unit, said at a news conference that the unit provides care that can range from "clinical monitoring and basic supportive care to invasive procedures and critical care for those that have critical illness."

How long will cruise passengers quarantine in Nebraska?

The quarantine period for each passenger will vary, Wadman said at the May 8 news conference.

All passengers will be assessed when they arrive to the Nebraska, at which point their quarantine period will be determined, he added.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said on CNN's "State of the Union" on May 10 that each of the passengers will be assessed on whether they were exposed to someone with hantavirus.

If the passengers have no symptoms and no contact with anyone symptomatic, they will be deemed low risk.

In that case, passengers can choose to stay at the quarantine unit if they'd like. Otherwise, they will be allowed to return home if they can get there "without exposing other people on the way," Bhattacharya said.

Once home, passengers can report to state and local public health agencies, he added.

Contributing: Daniel de Visé

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.