A potential hantavirus infection in Illinois is being investigated by state health authorities, but officials stress it is unrelated to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is monitoring a resident in Winnebago County, northwest of Chicago, who contracted the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present.
Illinois Case Details
The individual is not seriously ill, did not require hospitalization, and is recovering at home, according to the IDPH. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting tests, with results expected within 10 days. Authorities believe the person contracted the North American strain of hantavirus, which does not spread from person to person. Therefore, the risk to Illinois residents remains very low.
Difference from Andes Virus
This strain is distinct from the Andes virus, which spread on the MV Hondius and can be transmitted between people. The MV Hondius, a Dutch vessel, departed from Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 with 147 passengers and crew. Since then, seven confirmed cases of hantavirus and three possible cases have been reported, with three deaths.
Outbreak Origin
Health authorities in Argentina have indicated that Dutch ornithologist Leo Schilperoord, 70, may have been patient zero. He likely passed the virus to his wife, Mirjam, 69, who was with him on the cruise. Both later died. The couple had visited a landfill outside Ushuaia for birdwatching on March 27, where they may have contracted the Andes strain. Leo reported symptoms on April 6 and died on April 11. Mirjam died on April 26 after a flight to Johannesburg.
International Response
The outbreak gained international attention when remaining passengers disembarked on Tenerife, Spain, on Sunday. Health screenings were conducted, and passengers were repatriated. The 18 Americans aboard arrived in the U.S. on Monday, with two transported in biocontainment units. Sixteen are quarantined in Omaha, Nebraska, where one tested mildly positive. Two are at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. HHS officials emphasized the low risk to the public, noting that the Andes variant requires prolonged close contact with symptomatic individuals. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassured the public that this is not another COVID-19.
