US officials said on Monday (May 18) that a person in Colorado died after contracting the hantavirus following contact with local rodents.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated that the adult victim had no connection to the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship in April.
The state health agency emphasized in a statement that the risk to the general public remains low.
The statement indicated that the Colorado patient’s death was caused by the “Sin Nombre hantavirus” strain, which appears regularly in the state at this time each year, with deer mice being the most common carriers. Officials are currently investigating the specific source of exposure.
Also on Monday, the MV Hondius cruise ship, flying the Dutch flag, arrived at the port of Rotterdam for thorough disinfection. On May 2, the World Health Organization (WHO) received its first report of a cluster of severe respiratory diseases on the ship. At that time, the cruise ship was carrying about 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries.
According to WHO data, the outbreak on the MV Hondius has led to 11 cases of hantavirus infection, with 8 confirmed cases, 1 undetermined result, and 2 suspected cases; 3 people onboard have unfortunately died. There are suspicions that passengers may have contracted the virus during a shore excursion in Argentina.
The main concern regarding the cruise ship outbreak is that WHO experts suspect the virus is spreading through person-to-person transmission. The outbreak was caused by the rare “Andes strain,” the only hantavirus strain with evidence of human-to-human transmission, usually occurring in close contact situations.
In contrast, the “Sin Nombre strain” found in Colorado does not possess the ability for human-to-human transmission. However, both strains are highly lethal, with fatality rates ranging from 30% to 50%.
The MV Hondius outbreak has now resulted in 3 deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated last week that there are no related cases within the US and urged the public to remain calm.
“I want to reiterate, this is not like the COVID-19 virus. CDC continues to work very closely with our international partners, state, and local partners,” said Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya regarding the cruise ship outbreak in early May.
Currently, all remaining passengers from the MV Hondius have disembarked in the Canary Islands, with 18 American passengers undergoing isolation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Emory University in Atlanta. Of these 18 individuals, 15 are currently asymptomatic, 1 tested positive, and 1 is showing symptoms.
Health officials reiterated the importance of avoiding contact with rodents and their urine, feces, saliva, and nesting materials as the best method to prevent hantavirus infection.