Al Roker revealed that the CDC asked for volunteer testers while he was returning home from a trip to Europe amid the recent hantavirus outbreak.
During the Tuesday, May 12, episode of Today, Roker, 71, and his colleagues were discussing the hantavirus outbreak between passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship. The weatherman spoke about the precautions the United States is taking after flying home from daughter Leila’s wedding.
“I was coming from Europe this weekend from my daughter’s wedding, and the CDC was asking people to voluntarily test,” Roker said. “But they didn’t say for what, so I just wonder if it was a precaution here.”
Roker did not share whether he underwent any of the testing.
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The MV Hondius, which had 150 passengers, has been making headlines after the vessel was hit with a hantavirus outbreak. Hantavirus, which is the same disease that killed Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, is a rare infectious disease that begins with flu-like symptoms which can lead to life-threatening lung and heart problems, per the Mayo Clinic. The condition is typically transmitted by inhaling rodent urine, droppings or saliva. However, the Andes strain, which is from South America, is capable of human-to-person transmission via prolonged contact.
Three people have died since the ship set sail from Argentina. There are nine confirmed cases so far. The World Health Organization has theorized that it is likely a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a pre-cruise bird-watching trip in Chile and Argentina.
The Dutchman was the first to die in April while onboard the ship. His wife later became ill after leaving the ship with his body. The woman collapsed while in Johannesburg and she was transported to a health facility where she died after testing positive for hantavirus. The third victim was a German woman who died on board the ship. Her body later tested positive for the virus.
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After the news broke of the outbreak, the MV Hondius changed course to evacuate the remaining passengers. (Before the ship confirmed there was an outbreak, 30 people from at least 12 countries left the cruise early in St. Helena.)
Spanish officials agreed to let the boat dock in the Canary Islands. The ship arrived in Tenerife on Saturday, May 9. The remaining passengers disembarked and entered their respective quarantines.
The 18 Americans flew directly from Tenerife to Omaha, Nebraska. One person has “tested mildly” positive for the Andes strain of the hantavirus and another had “mild symptoms” per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
WHO has reported that the risk for a worldwide outbreak is currently low.
