The hantavirus outbreak may no longer be confined to the luxury Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, with health officials now assessing the possibility of wider exposure. Officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that although no cases have been reported in the US so far, the agency is monitoring 41 people for possible exposure.The 41 includes the 18 people evacuated from the hantavirus-hit ship from Spain’s Canary Islands.Notably, of the 18 passengers evacuated, two were carried in the plane's biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution — one who tested positive and another considered a suspected case. They were quarantined at a special facility in Nebraska. The remaining 16 are being quarantined in Omaha and Atlanta.Speaking to CNN from a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld of Oregon said he “feels wonderful” and is not experiencing symptoms.Spanish officials confirmed that after initially testing positive for hantavirus, Dr. Kornfeld has since tested negative twice for the disease, meaning no Americans currently have the illness, Forbes reported.CDC Monitoring More People However, an additional 16 people are being monitored by the CDC.The new individuals were not on the cruise ship but were passengers on an April 25 flight to Johannesburg and were exposed to someone known to have been infected, said Dr. David Fitter, who is leading the CDC response to the outbreak, according to The New York Times.Also read: Shocking Study Finds Andes Hantavirus Could Linger In Semen For Years, Pose Transmission RiskSeven other passengers from the cruise ship had disembarked on April 24 in St. Helena, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, returned to the US on commercial flights, and are being monitored by state health departments.As of May 14, there were no confirmed hantavirus cases in the United States, Dr. Fitter said.“Our job is to ensure that we are monitoring and in contact with anybody that might have been on the flight this person had taken,” Dr. Fitter told reporters. The agency is “monitoring all Americans that potentially would have been exposed, whether in the US or abroad, and we have been in contact with them,” he said.Hantavirus Outbreak: 11 Cases And 3 Deaths Reported According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 11 people have been affected by the rat-borne virus so far, of whom three have died.A Dutch couple is believed to have first been exposed to the virus while visiting a birdwatching site in Argentina.The WHO has confirmed that the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only strain known to spread from person to person — is behind the outbreak.While all passengers onboard the cruise have been taken care of by health authorities, the virus’ long incubation period remains a serious concern. This means that even asymptomatic individuals could potentially become infectious 6-8 weeks later.WHO Guidelines On Hantavirus ExposureThe WHO recommends that people exposed to hantavirus should be:Monitored actively at a specified quarantine facilityMonitored at home for 42 days from the last exposureAnyone who becomes symptomatic should be isolated and treated immediately.