CHICAGO — With the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, the Department of Public Health said the risk to the public in Chicago is low.
Almost 150 passengers and crew members on a cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak will disembark in Spain later this weekend. Three people have died since the outbreak and five passengers who have left the ship are known to be infected, according to the Associated Press.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can cause severe disease in humans, according to the World Health Organization. Infection occurs typically through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
The Chicago Department of Public Health told Block Club the Andes virus currently in the news is the only type of hantavirus known to spread from person to person. The type of rodents that carry the Andes virus live in South America and have not been found in the United States.
According to the Associated Press, the United States began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. Since 1993, only six cases of the virus have been confirmed in Illinois, a health department spokesperson said.
The best way to avoid hantavirus is to avoid contact with rodent urine, droppings, saliva and nesting materials, according to the health department. Those with mice or rats in their home should clean up after them safely using gloves and disinfectant.
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