NEWNow you can hearken to Fox Information articles!
Two Maryland residents are being monitored for potential hantavirus publicity, in accordance with the Maryland Division of Well being.
Well being officers mentioned the Maryland residents have been on a flight that included a passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship who was contaminated with hantavirus.
Well being authorities mentioned they’re taking these steps out of an abundance of warning. Presently, the chance to the general public in Maryland stays “very low,” state well being officers mentioned.
DR MARC SIEGEL: HANTAVIRUS CRUISE OUTBREAK IS ALARMING BUT FEAR IS SPREADING FASTER THAN FACTS
View of the cruise ship MV Hondius docked within the port of Granadilla earlier than setting course for the Netherlands, on 11 Might, 2026 in Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. (Europa Press Canarias through Getty Photographs)
Maryland well being officers mentioned the 2 residents with potential hantavirus publicity weren’t on the MV Hondius cruise ship, however they have been on a flight overseas with a passenger who has the virus.
The division declined to supply extra particulars concerning the residents, citing a necessity to guard their privacy.
Medical workers direct a number of the final passengers to be evacuated from the MV Hondius on Might 11, 2026 in Tenerife, a part of the Canary Islands, Spain. (Chris McGrath/Getty Photographs)
The 2 Maryland residents are being monitored throughout the virus’s incubation period, which can vary from 4 to 42 days. Officers mentioned asymptomatic people should not thought of infectious.
No hantavirus instances have been reported in Maryland since 2019, and Andes virus infections have by no means been recognized within the state, officers mentioned. Well being authorities mentioned they’re coordinating with federal and worldwide companions because the state of affairs continues to evolve.
WHAT IS HANTAVIRUS, THE CAUSE OF GENE HACKMAN’S WIFE’S DEATH?
American passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius arrived in Omaha, Neb., on Monday, Might 11, 2026, after flying from Tenerife, Spain. The ship was stricken with hantavirus. (Nick Ingram/AP)
In response to the Maryland Division of Well being, hantavirus is often unfold by contact with infected rodents, however the pressure tied to the cruise ship – the Andes virus – is the one recognized sort able to person-to-person transmission.
“The hantaviruses which can be discovered all through the USA should not recognized to unfold between individuals,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a uncommon infectious illness that begins with flu-like signs and might shortly progress to life-threatening lung and coronary heart issues. A number of hantavirus strains may cause the sickness, often known as hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, in accordance with Mayo Clinic.
Early symptoms of HPS can embrace fatigue, fever and muscle aches, with about half of all sufferers additionally experiencing complications, dizziness, chills and stomach issues, like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, in accordance with the CDC.
HPS has a nearly 40% fatality rate in those that are contaminated, in accordance with the CDC. Related hantavirus instances have been reported in Arizona, California and Georgia.
