A passenger on the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak is a Santa Clara County resident who has returned home, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department said Sunday.
The county health department said the resident was exposed to Andes hantavirus while a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship and is being monitored and evaluated in coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department said there is no known risk to the public at this time and no other information will be released about the individual in accordance with medical privacy laws.
According to the health department, hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans. The Andes virus is part of this family. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. Andes hantavirus can cause limited person-to-person transmission only with close and prolonged contact, particularly among household members or intimate partners.
Six confirmed cases of hantavirus and two suspected cases have been linked to the outbreak on the cruise ship, the World Health Organization said Friday. Three of those people have died, officials said, including two who died while aboard the ship.
Passengers started evacuating the cruise ship on Sunday shortly after the vessel arrived off the Spanish island of Tenerife, beginning the process of sending them back to their home countries.
This is a developing story.