American Who Wasn’t On Doomed Cruise Is Feared to Have Caught Rat Virus
The Daily Beast • • health
Key Points:
- An American man from Winnebago County, Illinois, is suspected of contracting hantavirus after exposure to rodent droppings while cleaning a residence, though he was not aboard the cruise ship linked to the outbreak.
- The man is believed to have contracted a North African hantavirus variant, which is not known to spread between people, unlike the Andes strain found on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
- The hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius has resulted in 11 confirmed or suspected cases, including three deaths, with the Andes strain capable of human-to-human transmission.
- Authorities have evacuated about 150 passengers from the cruise ship, including 17 Americans who are now quarantined and monitored in the U.S., while contact tracing and containment efforts continue.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting further testing on the Illinois man’s case, with results expected within 10 days, and he is currently under medical observation with improving symptoms.