As health officials race to contain the outbreak, one repatriated passenger has tested “mildly PCR positive” for the Andes strain of hantavirus, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, while another has developed mild symptoms. The Andes strain is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person.
The conversation below has been edited for clarity.
Of the sixteen Americans that came to University of Nebraska Medical Center, one had tested positive in another country. That individual is displaying no symptoms. Out of an abundance of caution, they were transferred to our biocontainment unit. The 15 asymptomatic patients who tested negative were put into quarantine. Each individual has their own room with a dedicated air supply, and all air exiting the room passes through HEPA filtration. All waste and water lines are protected and separate. The 15 patients are being individually monitored.
How are the pilots, crew members, and other staff involved in transporting the passengers protected from exposure to the virus?
If, during those 42 days, the person is determined to be negative and asymptomatic and can be monitored in their home state, they would not travel commercially. Instead, they would use private air or ground transportation. That will all be done in conjunction with ASPR (Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, an operating agency under the HHS that responds to public health emergencies).
Transmission of Andes hantavirus has only been documented from symptomatic individuals, people who are actively ill, to others who have had prolonged, close contact, generally defined as at least 15 minutes within six feet. There are no documented cases of transmission from an asymptomatic person.
The Davis Global Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, which holds the National Quarantine Unit, is seen on May 11, 2026 in Omaha, Nebraska. —Dylan Widger—Getty Images
How will patients in quarantine be monitored and tested for hantavirus, and how does it differ from COVID procedures?
MA: Two things will happen. At a minimum, individuals will be monitored throughout the day for any symptoms. If they develop symptoms at any point, they will undergo hantavirus testing, including PCR testing. Unlike a simple positive-or-negative home COVID-19 test, PCR testing can measure how much of the virus is present in the bloodstream. If individuals remain asymptomatic and are considered to have little to no exposure risk, they would not undergo routine testing.
MA: That is part of the reason we placed them in the biocontainment unit for closer monitoring. As this trip was an expedition and it went on for quite some time, it is possible they were exposed, and their own immune system was able to fight off the hantavirus. That is why they will undergo routine testing.
How is Nebraska Medicine making sure medical staff don't get infected?
MA: Each room has what is called negative pressure, with its own air supply. Water and waste are also specially treated to help ensure that, if a patient becomes symptomatic and is moved to the biocontainment unit, nothing is released back into the general population. Even the water is autoclaved. Everything is disposed of in an incredibly safe way.
MA: If you go to your dentist, all of the surgical instruments are autoclaved. The same thing for any instrumentation within the hospital. It's very high heat that destroys everything, and it destroys the virus. Even waste products that come from the person are autoclaved.
Are you confident about Nebraska Medicine's ability to handle the hantavirus outbreak?
We've prepared for this. We run drills, we train our staff very carefully. This is part of our identity. We are one of the best prepared centers on the planet for situations like this.
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