IDPH investigating potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County not linked to cruise ship outbreak
ABC7 Chicago • • health
Key Points:
- The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County, believed to be contracted while cleaning a home with rodent droppings; the CDC is conducting additional tests with results expected in up to 10 days.
- The infected individual experienced mild symptoms, did not require hospitalization, and is recovering; the case is not linked to the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
- The North American hantavirus strain, present in this case, is not transmitted person-to-person, unlike the South American Andes strain associated with the cruise ship outbreak.
- Illinois has had seven hantavirus cases since 1993, with the risk to residents currently very low; IDPH is coordinating with health agencies and will update the public as needed.
- Pest control experts recommend disinfecting areas before cleaning rodent droppings to reduce hantavirus risk, emphasizing that common rats in the Midwest can carry the virus during winter months.