Health officials in New Jersey are monitoring two state residents who may have been exposed to hantavirus, a deadly rodent-borne virus that has caused an outbreak aboard a cruise ship. The New Jersey Department of Health reported that the individuals were potentially exposed during air travel and were not passengers on the MV Hondius.
Six States Monitoring Potential Cases
New Jersey is the sixth state tracking possible hantavirus patients. As of Friday, the outbreak has resulted in three deaths, five confirmed cases, and three suspected cases. No cases have been confirmed in the United States, but nine Americans with potential exposure are under medical watch in New Jersey, Georgia, California, Texas, Virginia, and Arizona.
International Spread
Concerns about a wider outbreak have grown as passengers who disembarked from the MV Hondius have returned to several countries, including the United States. Oceanwide Expeditions, the Netherlands-based cruise operator, announced on Thursday that 30 passengers have left the vessel.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated: "As the world's leader in global health security, the US government is using our premier health experts to guide our response to this evolving situation. We are working closely with our international partners to provide technical assistance and guidance to mitigate risk."
The CDC assesses the current risk to Americans as low but urges those on the cruise "to follow the guidance of health officials as we work to bring you home safely."
State-Level Monitoring
State health officials in Georgia, California, Arizona, and Virginia have confirmed that residents from each state were aboard the vessel and are now being monitored for hantavirus symptoms. Officials confirmed to the Daily Mail that two people in Georgia, one in Arizona, and an unspecified number in California are under local health surveillance.
The Georgia Department of Public Health stated it "is monitoring two Georgia residents who returned home after disembarking from the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak." Georgia officials noted that residents are following CDC recommendations, which advise monitoring for symptoms for 45 days after the last potential exposure.
