LOS ANGELES, May 8 (Xinhua) -- American passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak will be quarantined in Nebraska upon arrival in the United States, NBC News reported Friday, citing an official from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The passengers will be received at the National Quarantine Unit, a secured facility on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus in Omaha, said Michael Wadman, the unit's medical director.
The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive in Tenerife, Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told NBC News that the agency is arranging a repatriation flight back home for the 17 American citizens aboard the ship.
Meanwhile, at least seven Americans who were on the vessel are isolating at home across five states, and none show any symptoms of the virus, said the report, citing local health officials.
The CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Centers and classified the hantavirus outbreak as "Level 3," multiple sources told ABC News. The emergency alert is the lowest level. ■
