Arizona Resident Monitored After Hantavirus Incident on Cruise Ship
A recent hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has captured attention, but Arizona health authorities assure the public that the risk remains low. After three passengers tragically succumbed to the virus on the MV Hondius, one returning passenger is now back in Arizona and under health surveillance.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has confirmed that the individual from Arizona, who was on the cruise ship, is being closely monitored locally. Hantavirus, primarily transmitted through rodents, poses significant health risks, but officials are cautious to note the unlikelihood of human transmission in this case.
Nicole Witt from the Arizona Department of Health Services clarified the situation, stating, “Exposure is for a symptomatic individual who is infected, and through close contact with a symptomatic infected individual, which the individual that’s been returned to Arizona is not.” Despite this, details about the individual’s location within Arizona remain confidential.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Joel Terriquez, also from the Arizona Department of Health Services, emphasized the minimal risk to the community. “The one exception of hantaviruses would be what we’re dealing with, which is Andes viruses,” he noted. “And, even that there has been some rare human to human transmission. It can happen, and it will require very close contact with someone that is very symptomatic.”
Dr. Terriquez assured that the monitored individual is currently asymptomatic. He explained, “Because we live in Arizona, we know that hantavirus has been around for years, and when we get news like this and when we hear person to person transmission, that will create some panic.”
Overall, the health department aims to reassure the public that despite the ongoing investigation of the cruise ship incident by health authorities, the potential for widespread transmission remains very low. For more information on hantavirus, visit the AP News website. Additionally, information on the Andes virus can be found here.
