Potential hantavirus case reported in Illinois, unrelated to cruise ship outbreak
Chicago Sun-Times • • health
Key Points:
- Illinois health officials are investigating a potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County, believed to be contracted through rodent droppings while cleaning a home, with the patient recovering from mild symptoms without hospitalization.
- This case is unrelated to the recent hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, involving a different strain that is not known to spread person-to-person, unlike the Andes strain responsible for the cruise outbreak.
- The Illinois Department of Health emphasized that the risk of contracting hantavirus remains very low for residents and is awaiting CDC lab confirmation, which can take up to 10 days.
- The cruise ship outbreak, which began April 1 from Argentina, has resulted in three deaths and nine confirmed cases, with no Illinois residents affected.
- Since 1993, Illinois has recorded seven hantavirus cases, the most recent in March 2025, according to state health data.