New Jersey monitors 2 residents for possible Hantavirus exposure linked to cruise ship
The exposure is linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, but officials said the New Jersey residents were not passengers.
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New Jersey health officials are monitoring two residents after they were potentially exposed to a person infected with Hantavirus, the state Department of Health said Friday.
The exposure is linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, but officials said the New Jersey residents were not passengers. The possible exposure happened during air travel abroad.
Neither person currently has symptoms suggestive of Hantavirus, according to the department. Officials said they will not release residence information or other identifying details.
The department said the risk to the general public in New Jersey remains very low. No current Hantavirus cases have been identified in the state, and New Jersey has no history of a confirmed hantavirus case.
Health officials said Hantaviruses circulating in the United States are carried by rodents and are not known to spread between people.
The strain linked to the MV Hondius outbreak, Andes virus, is found in South America and is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission, though officials said that is rare and generally requires close, prolonged contact with an infected person or their bodily fluids.
The incubation period ranges from four to 42 days. Asymptomatic people are not considered infectious, officials said.
