June 2 (Reuters) - Five U.S. residents who were on the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship have returned to their home states following three weeks of monitoring at the National Quarantine Unit, the University of Nebraska Medical Center said on Tuesday, while 13 passengers remain under observation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had requested that the individuals from the cruise ship remain at the NQU through May 31.
UNMC said the passengers will continue to be monitored for the next 21 days under the jurisdiction of their local and state public health departments.
An HHS official said the five passengers remain symptom-free and have met public health criteria to safely continue monitoring outside the NQU.
The passengers were among the 18 U.S. residents who were on the ship and were placed under quarantine before the hantavirus outbreak was identified.
According to the CDC, currently forty-one U.S. residents are being monitored for possible infection.
The WHO recommends monitoring and quarantining high-risk contacts for 42 days after exposure, while advising low-risk contacts to self-monitor and seek medical care if symptoms develop.
State health departments will continue daily symptom monitoring, maintain 24/7 oversight, and provide guidance throughout the remainder of the 42-day monitoring period, the Department of Health and Human Services official said.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
