5th California resident possibly exposed to hantavirus

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A fifth California resident has been identified as possibly being exposed to the deadly hantavirus during an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, health officials said today, but there are no cases of the virus in the state and none of the potentially exposed people are showing any symptoms.   

According to the California Department of Public Health, the agency was notified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about a California resident who was aboard the ship but disembarked before the outbreak was identified.

The person returned to California briefly then left again for additional travel, and is currently in the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific, state health officials said. The person is being monitored by the CDC and is showing no signs of infection.  

The additional person raised to five the number of California residents who were potentially exposed to the Andes hantavirus and whose health is being monitored. CDPH officials stressed, however, that none of the identified California residents are showing any signs of illness.

One of the affected residents is in Santa Clara County, one is in Sacramento County and the remaining two are being monitored at a federal health facility in Nebraska.

The Sacramento County resident was not aboard the cruise ship, but was potentially exposed aboard a flight.   

Hantavirus is a group of viruses that spread through the urine, droppings (feces), and saliva of wild rodents. Hantaviruses include both the Sin Nombre and Andes virus strains. The Andes hantavirus identified in the cruise ship outbreak is found in the southern Andes region of Argentina and Chile, according to state health officials. Andes hantavirus has also been associated with rare human-to-human transmission after close, prolonged contact with an ill infected person. Andes hantavirus is different from the Sin Nombre hantavirus, which is native to California and North America. Sin Nombre hantavirus has not been associated with person-to-person transmission.

From 1980 to 2025, 99 California residents have been diagnosed with Sin Nombre hantavirus infection, according to the CDPH. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a rare but severe respiratory illness that can develop following exposure. Early symptoms resemble influenza, can include gastrointestinal symptoms, and can progress rapidly to life-threatening respiratory distress. The fatality rate is approximately 30% to 40%.  

There is no antiviral treatment for hantavirus and HPS typically needs aggressive critical medical supportive care.