90-Second Read: Minnesotan being monitored for potential exposure to Hantavirus

The cruise ship has been the center of global attention since multiple passengers became sick with Hantavirus. The illness is usually the result of contact with rodent droppings and does not spread easily between people, leading health experts to say the risk to the public is low. MDH announced Tuesday that a person in Minnesota was briefly in contact with a passenger who tested positive for Hantavirus.

A Minnesota resident was reportedly briefly exposed to someone who was on board the MV Hondius cruise, according to MDH. Health experts have been tracking those who had contact with passengers to monitor for symptoms. According to MDH, the Minnesotan has been cooperative and has no symptoms.

Officials did not give any details about where in the state this person lives. Kari Debbink, a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology with a background in virology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said that monitoring an exposed person is a sign that contact tracing efforts are working. To stream KARE 11 on your phone, you need the KARE 11 app.