U.S. health officials announced that quarantine orders have been issued for two passengers from a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak. These individuals are now located at a hospital in Nebraska.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the orders were signed by their acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. These quarantine orders are rare and can involve fines or imprisonment if public health requests are ignored.

All 18 passengers in the Nebraska hospital have been asked to remain there until May 31 as part of their monitoring period. Despite no hantavirus cases reported among the U.S. passengers, symptoms can take up to 42 days to manifest, according to Jodie Guest from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, who highlighted that the incubation period dictates the quarantine length.

The CDC also reported three additional hantavirus cases. These include one case each in France, Spain, and Canada since the passengers disembarked. The World Health Organization noted a total of 11 cases linked to the cruise, including three fatalities, with eight confirmed through lab testing.

Hantaviruses typically spread through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings. However, the outbreak involves the Andes virus, which could potentially spread between people, although such cases are rare. Public health officials maintain that the risk to the general public from this outbreak remains low.