Rare 'stealth infection' found at Bay Area prison

Key Points:

• San Quentin Rehabilitation Center is investigating a potential hantavirus case after an individual showed symptoms of the rare and deadly respiratory disease, with tests sent to state and federal health authorities for confirmation.
• The facility has been decontaminated, but the patient's condition and identity remain undisclosed; the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation emphasized the safety of inmates and staff as a priority.
• Hantavirus, transmitted by rodents through aerosolized feces and urine, has a fatality rate of about 35% in the U.S. and presents initially with flu-like symptoms before potentially progressing to severe respiratory issues.
• The virus is most common in western U.S. states with arid climates, making a case at a Bay Area prison unusual; experts note there is no vaccine or cure, only supportive care.
• Recent international attention on hantavirus followed an outbreak of the Andes strain on a cruise ship, but this strain is not found in the U.S., and the cruise ship cases are considered unrelated to the San Quentin situation.