U.S. citizens on hantavirus cruise ship monitored at Nebraska Medicine

In May, U.S. passengers from the international cruise ship where a hantavirus outbreak began were transported to Omaha, Neb., to be monitored in the National Quarantine Unit on the campus of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The National Quarantine Unit is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the U.S.

“We are prepared for situations exactly like this,” said Michael Ash, M.D., CEO of Nebraska Medicine. “Our teams have trained for decades alongside federal and state partners to make sure we can safely provide care while protecting our staff and the broader community. We are proud to support this national effort.”

The rare hantavirus outbreak was a real-world test of America's infectious disease preparedness infrastructure. In an AHA Advancing Health podcast conversation, Angela Hewlett, M.D., professor of infectious diseases at UNMC and medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, explains how her team helped monitor and care for Americans exposed to the Andes hantavirus strain, which is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission. Dr. Hewlett discusses the critical role of the National Quarantine Unit, the nation's preparedness for emerging infectious diseases, lessons learned from Ebola response efforts, and what hospitals of every size can do to strengthen outbreak readiness.

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