90-Second Read: Bay Area health officials confirm resident exposed to Hantavirus on MV Hondius cruise ship

A San Francisco Bay Area resident who was a passenger on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak is being monitored, health officials said. According to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, a county resident was exposed to the Andes Hantavirus while on the MV Hondius. Nine people on the MV Hondius had confirmed or suspected cases of the Hantavirus, while three people have died, the World Health Organization said on Friday. County officials said the passenger is not showing symptoms and does not appear to be sick, though health experts say the virus can take weeks before symptoms develop.

Officials believe the Santa Clara County resident likely disembarked from the cruise ship on April 24, meaning more than two weeks have passed since the possible exposure. Health officials said another California passenger from the same cruise ship is expected to be removed from the vessel on Sunday and transported with the other Americans to the quarantine facility in Nebraska. According to officials, Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that are occasionally transmitted to humans. It remains unclear when the passenger returned home or when county officials were first notified.

Officials said no additional information about the passenger will be released, citing medical privacy laws. The health department said monitoring is being conducted in coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Officials said Andes Hantavirus can cause limited person-to-person transmission only through "close and prolonged contact", such as among household members or intimate partners. Experts stressed the Andes Hantavirus is far more difficult to spread than COVID-19.

Among the nearly 150 people on board, 17 were Americans. Once back in the U.S., the Americans will be quarantined in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Infection among humans usually takes place through contact with infected rodents, their urine, droppings or saliva.