90-Second Read: Minnesota health department monitoring 1 who may have been exposed to Hantavirus overseas

The Minnesota Department of Health said Tuesday afternoon that it is monitoring a person who was potentially exposed to someone who tested positive for Hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. The department said in a statement that the person they're monitoring was overseas when they were possibly exposed to the individual who tested positive. Health officials around the world are monitoring the outbreak, which has claimed three lives.

The person in Minnesota does not have any symptoms, according to the department. They have been very cooperative, and we are monitoring them daily for symptoms. So far, there are at least eight other confirmed or suspected cases tied to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship.

Hantavirus is part of a family of viruses carried by rodents that can spread to people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 890 recorded cases of Hantaviruses in the Upper Midwest between 1993 and 2023. The risk to the public remains very low, the department emphasized.