IDPH: Illinois resident being tested for hantavirus strain different from cruise ship infections

As global attention centers on a fatal outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus on a cruise ship, Illinois Department of Public Health officials announced a state resident is potentially infected with a different form of the disease.

The individual, who lives in Winnebago County and is not seriously ill, is suspected to have acquired a North American strain of hantavirus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present, the IDPH said Tuesday.

The virus is typically caused by contact with rats or mice and their droppings. But the North American strain is not known to be spread from person-to-person, unlike the Andes strain that circulated on the cruise ship, state officials said.

“The risk of contracting hantavirus of any kind remains very low for Illinois residents,” they noted.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is testing to confirm if the resident is positive for hantavirus, with results expected within 10 days.

The IDPH said it does not appear that any Illinoisans were passengers on the MV Hondius, where three travelers died after contracting Andes hantavirus. Six passengers with confirmed or suspected cases are in quarantine, the World Health Organization has said.

“IDPH will proactively update the public should there be any changes,” the agency said.

Eighteen ship passengers were flown to the U.S. Monday. They are being evaluated at specialized medical centers in Nebraska and Atlanta.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office issued a statement Monday saying there are “serious concerns” about the federal government’s response.

“Prior to the repatriation flight … public reporting has indicated six states (Arizona, California, Georgia, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia) are home to U.S. passengers who were potentially exposed to hantavirus,” officials noted.

“At this time, there is no reason to believe there are passengers from the MV Hondius located in Illinois. However, after many days of uncertainty, the federal government still has key questions to answer.”

Those include why the federal government did not immediately provide states with a passenger manifest indicating if their residents were exposed to hantavirus, and whether the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO is impairing the response.

At a media briefing Monday, President Donald Trump said he was “glad” about pulling out of the WHO because it was too expensive, according to published reports.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added, “we have this under control, and we’re not worried about it. We’ve had CDC teams on it from day one.”