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. MDH announced Tuesday that a person in Minnesota was briefly in contact with a passenger who tested positive for Hantavirus. She added that she would become more concerned if unlinked cases began appearing outside of known contact tracing chains, though she does not believe this outbreak will ever evolve into a pandemic similar to COVID-19. A Minnesota resident was reportedly briefly exposed to someone who was on board the MV Hondius cruise, according to MDH. 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.

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. 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. Example video title will go here for this video Example video title will go here for this video ST PAUL, Minn. Officials did not give any details about where in the state this person lives. I think it's a really good sign because it shows that the contact tracing that they're doing is working.