90-Second Read: NJ residents monitored after possible Hantavirus exposure. What to know in NY

Two New Jersey residents may have been exposed to a person infected with Hantavirus linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, where a rare outbreak has killed three people, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. As of Friday, there also were no confirmed cases of Hantavirus in New York and no reports of New Yorkers being monitored for exposure. As of Thursday, five people had confirmed Hantavirus cases and three others were suspected cases linked to the cruise ship outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.

Officials said the overall risk to New Jersey residents remains low because there have been no confirmed cases in New Jersey or elsewhere in the United States. Health Security Agency announced a new suspected Hantavirus case on Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic island where the MV Hondius stopped in April. Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents, but health officials confirmed the strain linked to this outbreak is the Andes virus, the only known Hantavirus strain capable of spreading person to person.

According to the New York State Department of Health, Hantavirus disease is caused by several strains of viruses commonly carried by rodents around the world. The most recent confirmed Hantavirus case in New York occurred in Franklin County in 2017, according to the state health department. Neither resident currently has symptoms, and officials said they are being monitored as a precaution.