90-Second Read: Potential case of Hantavirus reported in Illinois, but it’s not linked to cruise ship outbreak

Health officials are investigating a potential Hantavirus case in Illinois, though the case is not linked to a recent outbreak of the illness on a cruise ship. Health officials are investigating a potential Hantavirus case in Illinois, though the case is not linked to a recent outbreak of the illness on a cruise ship, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday. Before this latest potential case, Illinois had seven positive cases of Hantavirus since 1993, most recently in March 2025. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting additional testing to confirm the individual in Illinois is positive for Hantavirus, a process that could take up to 10 days. The risk of Illinois residents contracting Hantavirus remains "very low," the state health department said in a statement Tuesday.

So far, as part of the cruise ship outbreak, three people have died, according to the World Health Organization. Illinois has not been notified of any residents who were on the cruise ship, according to the state health department. The Illinois resident who potentially caught the virus is not seriously ill and is recovering after experiencing mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization, according to the health department. It is believed a Winnebago County resident may have contracted the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present, according to the state health department. People can contract the viruses through contact with infected rodents or their droppings, saliva or urine.

The individual is believed to have caught the North American strain of the Hantavirus, which does not spread from person to person. That outbreak involves the Andes strain of the virus, which can spread between people who are in close and prolonged contact. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by rodents that can make people severely ill. Hantaviruses can also cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, with initial symptoms including intense headaches, back and abdominal pain, fever, chills, nausea and blurred vision. Later symptoms can include low blood pressure, lack of blood flow, internal bleeding and acute kidney failure.

There is no antiviral treatment or vaccine for Hantavirus. Illinois joined that network partly to keep information flowing to the state. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.