90-Second Read: Fifth California resident exposed to Hantavirus on cruise ship, health officials say

State health officials identified a fifth California resident exposed to the Andes Hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship last month. Another California resident who may have been exposed was not on the cruise ship, but sat next to a person on a plane in South Africa who was later confirmed to have Hantavirus. Although Andes Hantavirus can be fatal, leading to three deaths in the recent cruise ship outbreak, officials have stressed that the risk to the California public remains low. The California resident was a passenger on the cruise ship, the California Department of Public Health said Wednesday.

They are currently in the Pitcairn Islands, a remote British territory in the South Pacific, where their health is being monitored by British health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials said no update was available on when they would return home to California. The Californian returned to Sacramento County, where they have been directed to limit interactions with others while their health is being monitored. The sick person, who had been a passenger on the ship, was removed from the plane before it took off.

Officials did not say where in California the person visited. Three other Californians have also been confirmed to be aboard the contaminated cruise ship. One also disembarked before the outbreak began and returned to Santa Clara County. The two others were flown to a medical facility in Nebraska along with other American cruise passengers.