A man in Illinois is suspected to have contracted hantavirus, despite having no connection to the MV Hondius cruise ship associated with a recent global outbreak, according to state health officials.
Investigation Underway
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it is investigating a potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting additional testing to confirm the diagnosis.
Officials cautioned that CDC test results could take up to 10 days, and the man will remain under strict medical observation during this period.
No Cruise Ship Link
The individual was not aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, where at least 11 people contracted hantavirus last month, resulting in three fatalities. The IDPH believes the man contracted the virus through exposure to rodent droppings while cleaning a home.
"Typically, we see it in cases like this one, where someone was cleaning an area where rats may have dwelled, and it may have aerosolized the either urine or feces from the rat that contain the virus," explained Dr. Alfredo Mena Lora, an infectious disease specialist at Saint Anthony Hospital, in an interview with ABC7.
Health officials in Tenerife, where the cruise ship docked, are also monitoring the situation closely.
