90-Second Read: As cruise passengers return to US, doctor says risk of Hantavirus is low

Example video title will go here for this video Example video title will go here for this video DENVER, After a deadly Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, passengers are on their way home. With the 17 Americans on that cruise ship now on their way to Nebraska, many people are worried about the potential for Hantavirus to spread. Hantavirus needs prolonged intimate contact to spread, helping keep cases down.

Hantavirus is primarily carried by rodents like rats and mice. The way it's spread is typically not very contagious between humans, and that's one thing that we're seeing is very interesting with this new case that's cropped up on the cruise ship. Of those cases, 45 were fatal, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Ponce said the cruise ship cases are being watched closely. Ponce said Colorado still has policies in place to help report and monitor Hantavirus, but those federal changes could still be felt. People usually get it after breathing in dust contaminated with saliva or urine of infected rodents.