TEXAS — Two Texas residents are being monitored by state health officials after traveling aboard a cruise ship that experienced a deadly hantavirus outbreak in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the Texas Department of State Health Services that the two individuals were passengers on the MV Hondius, which departed Argentina on April 1 with 130 passengers. The Texans left the ship and returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified.
Public health workers have contacted both individuals, who report they are not experiencing symptoms and had no contact with sick passengers while aboard the ship. They have agreed to monitor themselves with daily temperature checks and will contact health officials if any symptoms develop.
The outbreak involved the Andes strain of hantavirus, which killed three people and infected at least eight others during the voyage. Unlike typical hantavirus strains that spread through contact with wild rodent droppings or urine, the Andes strain can spread from person to person under limited circumstances.
Dr. Omer Awan, a Scripps News medical contributor, said 20 to 40 hantavirus cases occur annually in the United States, with human-to-human transmission being unusual except for rare strains.
DSHS officials said they will not release additional personal details about the Texas passengers to protect their privacy.
