90-Second Read: Bay Area resident monitored after Hantavirus exposure on cruise ship

A Santa Clara County resident was exposed to Hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship, but officials say the public risk is extremely low. Health officials are monitoring a Santa Clara County resident who was exposed to Hantavirus and has since returned home, but said there is "no known risk" to county residents. A Bay Area resident was exposed to Hantavirus while aboard a cruise ship at the center of a deadly viral outbreak that has drawn worldwide attention, public health officials confirmed Sunday. Passengers and crew members of the Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius arrive at Spain's Canary Islands for quarantine Sunday. A Santa Clara County resident was a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship and has since returned home to California, according to the Santa Clara County.

Passengers disembark from the Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday. The World Health Organization said there were eight Hantavirus cases tied to the cruise ship as of Friday, including three patients who died. The state health department said a second California resident was still aboard the cruise ship as of Friday. Rudman said the department is monitoring and evaluating the returning traveler in coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The department did not say when the traveler returned to the Bay Area or whether the person was experiencing symptoms, noting it could not release further details due to medical privacy laws.

At this time, there is no known risk to the public in Santa Clara County," said Dr. Sarah Rudman, the county's health officer and public health director. Hantaviruses are carried by animals, typically rodents, but can spread to people through contact with rodents or their droppings. The agency characterized the risk to the general public as "extremely low." Health officials believe the first person probably contracted the virus in Argentina before boarding the cruise ship, where it spread among passengers, according to the WHO. It is particularly likely to spread among household members or intimate partners, health officials said.

The state health department said protocol includes daily temperature checks, assessment for any symptoms and direction to modify activities. The cluster was first reported in early May as multiple passengers developed severe respiratory illness. That's part of why the public health department is working closely with CDPH and the CDC to monitor the situation, support the returning traveler in our county and keep the public notified of any concern.