2 NJ residents being monitored after potential exposure to hantavirus connected to cruise ship
6abc Philadelphia • • world
Key Points:
- Two New Jersey residents are being monitored for potential exposure to hantavirus after contact with an infected individual who traveled from the cruise ship MV Hondius during international air travel.
- Neither of the New Jersey individuals currently show symptoms, and they were not passengers on the cruise ship; contact tracing has been conducted to notify and monitor close contacts.
- The New Jersey Department of Health emphasizes that the risk to the general public remains very low, with no confirmed hantavirus cases reported in the state to date.
- The hantavirus strain involved, Andes virus, can transmit between people but requires close, prolonged contact, making widespread transmission unlikely; asymptomatic individuals are not considered infectious.
- Health officials across multiple U.S. states are monitoring returning travelers, with ongoing coordination between local, state, and federal agencies to manage the situation.
