5th Californian possibly exposed to hantavirus identified, health officials say no confirmed cases
California public health officials said on Wednesday that they have identified a fifth resident of the state who may have been exposed to the Andes hantavirus due to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Along with that announcement, health officials stressed that none of the five California residents, nor any residents of the United States, currently has a confirmed case of the Andes hantavirus.
This newly identified California resident had been aboard the MV Hondius but disembarked prior to the outbreak being known, officials said. The individual returned to California before leaving on an additional trip within that same timeframe.
California's Department of Public Health said it learned about the newest possible exposure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The individual, who remains asymptomatic, is currently in the Pitcairn Islands, a British territory in the South Pacific, and is being monitored by CDC and British health officials.
Among the four other California residents, two have since returned to their homes in the state — one in Sacramento County and the other in Santa Clara County — and are also undergoing public health monitoring but are showing no symptoms, officials said.
The other two residents were taken to a quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for monitoring. The CDPH said no further information was available on these two individuals but again said there are currently no positive cases of the Andes hantavirus at this time among U.S. or California residents.
While the CDPH did not confirm, a San Mateo County health official confirmed to CBS News Bay Area that one of the two Californians in Nebraska was from San Mateo County.
The individual from Sacramento County is the only person among the five who was not aboard the MV Hondius. State health officials said this person may have been exposed to the Andes hantavirus while aboard an international flight carrying a passenger who later died from the virus.
"Currently, to our knowledge, all five individuals undergoing public health monitoring do not have any symptoms of illness from hantavirus, and the two individuals in California are in close contact with local public health officials to assure they remain healthy and following public health direction to limit interaction with others," the CDPH said in a statement announcing the new possible exposure.
California health officials said exposed individuals are monitored for 42 days under CDC guidance. Monitoring includes daily temperature checks, symptom screenings and activity modifications.
Hantaviruses typically spread through contact with infected rodent urine, droppings or saliva, officials said. The Andes strain at the center of the MV Hondius outbreak is found mainly in parts of Argentina and Chile.
Officials also noted that the Andes hantavirus differs from the Sin Nombre hantavirus strain found in parts of North America. The Sin Nombre strain does not transmit from person to person.
