Minnesota health officials are monitoring a resident who may have been briefly exposed overseas to a person infected with hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, but they say the risk to the public remains very low.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said this week it is following one person in the state who may have had short contact with an individual from the cruise who later tested positive for the Andes virus, a type of hantavirus linked to the recent outbreak at sea.
The exposure occurred outside the United States, and officials stressed that the Minnesotan was not a passenger on the ship itself. MDH said it is releasing no information about the person's identity, location, age, or travel history to protect their privacy, according to Kare11.
Monitoring of Hantavirus Disease
According to MDH, the person being monitored currently has no symptoms of hantavirus disease. Health workers are in daily contact with the individual to check for fever, respiratory problems, or other early signs of illness that could indicate infection.
The department said the person has been "very cooperative" with monitoring and instructions. Officials said there are no related hospitalizations or confirmed hantavirus cases in Minnesota tied to this exposure at this time.
Read more: All Passengers Now Off The Hantavirus‑Hit Cruise Ship As A Repatriated American Tests Positive
The Minnesota case stems from an outbreak on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina and made stops including Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and Cape Verde before heading toward Spain's Canary Islands.
International health authorities say at least eight people on or linked to the ship have been identified as hantavirus cases, with several deaths reported, and some passengers evacuated for treatment in South Africa and the Netherlands.
The World Health Organization has confirmed that the outbreak involves the Andes virus strain and has described it as the first documented human-to-human transmission event for this type of hantavirus, though rodent exposure remains the usual source of infection, the BBC reported.
U.S. health officials are tracking multiple potential exposures connected to the ship, but they continue to describe the overall public health risk as low. Authorities in Georgia and Arizona have reported monitoring three returning passengers; none have shown symptoms so far.
MDH said its monitoring plan for the Minnesota resident is being carried out in coordination with local health agencies and federal partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The person has been advised to watch for symptoms during the hantavirus incubation period and to seek care immediately if illness develops. Officials reiterated there is no evidence of community spread in Minnesota and no special precautions are recommended for the general public beyond usual illness prevention measures, as per KSTP.
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