Possible Illinois case not tied to cruise outbreak

Key Points:

• Eighteen American passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, linked to a hantavirus outbreak, are quarantining at facilities in Nebraska and Georgia; most are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with two in Emory University's biocontainment unit.
• All Americans in Nebraska quarantine are asymptomatic as of May 12, though one initially tested "mildly" positive for hantavirus and is undergoing further testing; Spain's health ministry later reported this individual tested negative.
• A French passenger infected with the Andes virus remains critically ill and is now on lung support in a Paris hospital, receiving advanced life-support care for severe lung and heart complications.
• The World Health Organization reports 11 confirmed or probable hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius outbreak, including three deaths, but currently sees no signs of a larger outbreak; however, more cases could emerge due to the virus's long incubation period.
• Separately, Illinois is investigating a potential hantavirus case unrelated to the cruise ship, believed to be contracted from rodent exposure during home cleaning, with confirmatory testing ongoing.