Illinois health officials investigating possible hantavirus case in Winnebago County not linked to cruise ship

The Illinois Department of Public Health said it is investigating a potential case of hantavirus in an Illinois resident, that they said is not linked to the deadly cruise ship outbreak.

Three people aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship died from hantavirus, which is rare, and at least three more were sickened. A total of 17 American passengers are being monitored and quarantined in Nebraska after debarking the ship.

Illinois public health officials said the case they are monitoring is not connected to that cruise. They said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently doing additional testing to confirm the resident is positive for hantavirus, which could take up to 10 days to get results.

IDPH said the patient is a resident of Winnebago County who had not traveled internationally and had not had any conduct with any of the cruise ship passengers.

IDPH said they believe the patient contracted the virus in a home with rodent droppings, and they believe it is the North American strain of hantavirus which is not spread from person to person, unlike the Andes strain that is associated with the MV Hondius outbreak.

They also emphasized that the rodent species known to carry the Andes strain of the virus in South America do not live in the U.S.

IDPH cautioned Illinoisans that the risk of contracting hantavirus of any kind remains very low in Illinois.

Health officials for the state are coordinating with the Winnebago County Health Department and the CDC as they monitor the patient.