2 Maryland residents monitored after potential hantavirus exposure, health officials say
Two Maryland residents are being monitored for potential hantavirus exposure, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
Health officials said the Maryland residents were on a flight that included a passenger from the M/V Hondius cruise ship who was infected with hantavirus.
Right now, the risk to the public in Maryland remains "very low," but health officials say they are taking precautionary steps.
Potential exposure on a flight, not the cruise ship
Maryland health officials said the residents with potential hantavirus exposure were not on the M/V Hondius cruise ship, but they were on a flight abroad with a passenger who has the virus.
The health department said there have been no hantavirus cases identified in Maryland since 2019. Andes virus infections have never been reported in Maryland.
Health officials in Maryland are coordinating with all levels of government, as well as health experts and medical facilities.
What is hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are spread to people from rodents through urine, droppings or saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the Maryland Health Department, most diseases stemming from hantavirus are not known to spread between people.
However, the disease associated with M/V Hondius passengers is the Andes virus found in South America. Health officials say the Andes virus is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person-to-person.
According to the CDC, hantavirus is a severe and potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs. The agency said that 38% of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.
Early symptoms of hantavirus include fatigue, fever and muscle aches. Nearly half infected have headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal programs.
The late symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath, and some patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid, the CDC says.
The incubation period ranges from four to 42 days, and asymptomatic persons are not considered infectious, health officials say.
Hantavirus outbreak on M/V Hondius
Seventeen Americans and a dual British-U.S. citizen were evacuated from the M/V Hondius cruise ship, which was hit with the deadly outbreak of hantavirus.
Three people linked to the outbreak on the cruise ship died. Overall, the ship was carrying about 150 people from more than 15 countries.
"This is not another COVID, and the risk to the public is low," World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "So, they shouldn't be scared and they shouldn't panic," said Tedros. He also said years of scientific evaluations of the virus and its behavior, in addition to how the virus has behaved so far in this particular outbreak, have informed that judgement."
