Illinois case of hantavirus holds no link to MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that a local resident may have hantavirus, but clarified that the case is not linked to the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The IDPH said in their statement that the Winnebago County resident is believed to have a North American strain of the virus.

The strain that spread on the cruise ship, the Andes, comes from South America. The long-tailed pygmy rice rat, known to carry the Andes strain, does not live in the U.S.

Human-to-human transmission occurs following close and prolonged contact during the early phase of the illness, when the virus is more transmissible, as per the WHO.

The patient has not traveled internationally, nor interacted with a Hondius passenger, the IDPH clarified however, they are suspected to have contracted the virus after cleaning a home with rodent droppings.

It was also confirmed by the agency that North American strains of hantavirus "are not known to spread from person-to-person," unlike the Andes strain.

"The risk of contracting Hantavirus of any kind remains very low for Illinois residents," the statement further reads.

The patient is experiencing mild symptoms and is "not seriously ill." They have been tested, but results can take up to 10 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This suspected patient marks the eighth hantavirus case in Illinois since 1993. The U.S. has seen 890 cases of hantavirus between 1993 and 2023.