2 Maryland residents monitored after potential hantavirus exposure, health officials say
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Two Maryland residents are being monitored for potential hantavirus exposure after being on a flight with an infected passenger from the M/V Hondius cruise ship, though they were not on the cruise ship itself.
- Maryland health officials emphasize that the risk to the public remains very low, noting no hantavirus cases have been reported in the state since 2019, and Andes virus infections have never been identified there.
- The Andes virus, linked to the M/V Hondius outbreak, is unique among hantaviruses for its ability to spread from person to person, but overall hantavirus infections primarily spread through contact with rodent excretions.
- Seventeen Americans and a dual British-U.S. citizen were evacuated from the M/V Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak resulted in three deaths among approximately 150 passengers from over 15 countries.
- The World Health Organization stresses that hantavirus is not comparable to COVID-19 in terms of public risk, advising against panic while continuing scientific monitoring and response efforts.