Passenger from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship speaks out from quarantine
One of the passengers of the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship is speaking out two days after the ship's evacuation of guests.
Jake Rosmarin, who has not tested positive for hantavirus, spoke with "Good Morning America" on Tuesday while quarantining at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's quarantine unit in Omaha, Nebraska.
"I was relieved to get off the ship and have a plan in place, and they were treating us really, really well here, so I can't ask for anything more than that," Rosmarin said.
Rosmarin, who is originally from New York and now lives in Boston, said he hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation on his cruise at first.
"For me, it just felt like weird coincidences, and honestly, I didn't think anything was wrong until we found out that it was hantavirus, and that's when I was scared," Rosmarin said. "Because, as you know, when you hear about a virus you don't really know about, you Google it, and when you Google hantavirus, it's definitely a scary virus to be seeing."
Rosmarin said that amid everything he and others have been through on board the MV Hondius, he has been able to keep in touch with his fellow passengers.
"I've messaged people and everyone seems to be in good spirits," he said.
Rosmarin said he is not experiencing any symptoms and plans on remaining in quarantine for the next 42 days.
"I think that is the best decision that's for me and for my family, and I know that here, I'm in the best care possible," Rosmarin said, adding that his room in the quarantine unit has air conditioning, an exercise bike and he is receiving at least three meals a day. "I can't ask for any more than that."
Passengers and some crew members from 23 countries were evacuated from the ship on Sunday, including 18 Americans.
On Monday, 16 American cruise ship passengers were transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with 15 staying in the quarantine unit and one person, who tested positive for hantavirus, in the biocontainment unit, according to officials.
Two other passengers were flown to Emory University Hospital's Serious Communicable Diseases Unit in Atlanta. There, one person, who is symptomatic, is receiving treatment, while another is asymptomatic and under "evaluation and monitoring."
An outbreak of hantavirus, a virus that can cause serious illness and death, broke out in recent weeks on the Dutch cruise ship, which departed from Argentina in early April.
Three people who were aboard the ship are known to have died of the virus and there have been at least 11 known cases worldwide so far, according to health officials.
