The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the Utah Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) that at least one Utah resident is a passenger on the MV Hondius, a ship that experienced an outbreak of hantavirus while traveling in the Atlantic Ocean.
DHHS will be working closely with these individuals to assure they return home safely. This does not increase the risk of hantavirus to the Utah population.
The passenger is among the 17 U.S. citizens who remain on the ship. They are expected to disembark in the Canary Islands within the next few days, after which they will be escorted by federal officials to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska. It is not known at this time whether the passenger had any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship.
Before the passenger returns to Utah, Utah DHHS will coordinate with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A timeline for their return has not been decided. Following their return, state health officials will monitor their symptoms for any signs of a possible illness.
DHHS will not release additional personal details about the passengers in order to protect their privacy.
Hantaviruses are usually spread through contact with wild rodent droppings or urine. The strain in the Hondius outbreak, Andes virus, can spread from person to person in limited circumstances. It typically requires close, prolonged contact with a person who is actively sick with the disease. It is not known to spread through casual contact such as shaking hands or being in the same room for a few minutes. There have been no documented cases where a person without symptoms spread it to someone else.