Hantavirus live updates: Risk to general public 'very, very low'

Here's what you need to know about hantavirus including what it is, how it spreads, how it's treated and if there are any prevention methods:

What is hantavirus?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause serious illnesses and death, according to the CDC.

How does hantavirus spread?

Hantaviruses may also spread from person to person, but that also is rare and only suspected for one subtype, the Andes virus, from South America, according to the WHO.

Is there a vaccine?

There are currently no approved vaccines anywhere in the world that specifically protect against the Andes virus, but scientists are working on it.

Read more about hantavirus here.

The University of Nebraska, which hosts the quarantine facility the American cruise ship passengers are set to travel to, said the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine are "in close coordination with national partners" regarding the hantavirus cluster onboard the M/V Hondius.

"We cannot discuss specific communications at this time, but, our specialized teams, including the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and National Quarantine Unit, are staffed and ready, if needed, to safely provide care while protecting our staff and the community," the statement read.

An official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to ABC News that the agency will be dispatching personnel to the Canary Islands, where the M/V Hondius -- the cruise ship at the center of a suspected hantavirus cluster -- is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.

Teams will then escort those Americans to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska.

Anais Legand, the technical officer with the World Health Organization, briefed the press Friday about the organization's efforts to screen the M/V Hondius' crew and passengers after the ship arrives in the Canary Islands.

Health teams will work with national authorities and each boat member will be assessed by trained medical staff, he said.

Epidemiologists will review individual exposure histories and interactions, according to Legand.

"So this is a way for us to get all the pieces together and have the maximum information to be able to assess any risk for this person and give them the right recommendation," he said.