By WMBD TV/WTVO
WINNEBAGO COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) – The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a possible case of hantavirus in a Winnebago County resident, though officials say the risk to the public remains very low.
According to IDPH, the potential case is not connected to a recent hantavirus outbreak involving passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship and does not involve the Andes strain of the virus.
Health officials say the resident has not traveled internationally and has had no contact with anyone connected to the cruise ship outbreak. The individual is believed to have potentially contracted a North American strain of hantavirus while “cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present,” IDPH said.
“The resident is not seriously ill and is recovering after experiencing mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization,” IDPH said in a statement released Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting additional testing to confirm whether the patient is positive for hantavirus. IDPH says confirmatory testing at the CDC can take up to 10 days. Initial antibody tests conducted by a commercial laboratory are not “considered definitive,” according to the agency.
Unlike the Andes strain of hantavirus, which has been associated with person-to-person transmission in South America and the MV Hondius outbreak, North American strains are not known to spread between people, according to public health officials.
“The risk of contracting hantavirus of any kind remains very low for Illinois residents,” IDPH said.
State health officials say they are coordinating closely with the Winnebago County Health Department and the CDC as the investigation continues.
Rare virus in Illinois
Aside from the possible case currently being monitored, there have only ever been seven confirmed cases of hantavirus in Illinois since 1993, according to the IDPH, making it relatively rare in the state.
The strain most commonly found in the U.S. is linked to exposure to rodent urine, feces, or saliva, particularly when contaminated dust becomes airborne. The rodent species responsible for carrying the Andes strain in South America does not live in the United States.
Earlier this week, IDPH also confirmed it has not been notified of any Illinois residents traveling on the MV Hondius during the cruise ship outbreak.
WMBD TV first reported on this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
