More People Being Monitored at Home for Potential Hantavirus Exposure

States are monitoring additional people for potential hantavirus exposure, in many cases due to air travel, MedPage Today has learned.

While the CDC initially reported a total of 41 people in the U.S. under monitoring, the total now stands at 57.

Here are the states where the number of people being monitored increased:

• California: from 2 to 8
• Maryland: from 2 to 5
• North Dakota: from 5 to 7
• Virginia: from 1 to 3
• Washington: from 2 to 5

While states would not provide specific details as to why the numbers increased, health department spokespeople from California, Maryland, and Washington said the additional people under monitoring shared flights with those who may have been exposed to hantavirus aboard the cruise ship.

A California Department of Public Health spokesperson said the CDC notified the agency of “additional individuals with possible Andes hantavirus exposures due to sharing flights with people known to be exposed aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship.”

Maryland’s health department “is monitoring three additional Maryland residents who were also on a flight that briefly included a MV Hondius cruise ship passenger infected with hantavirus. These residents are considered lower risk,” a spokesperson told MedPage Today.

Finally, a Washington state health department official said the “additional two individuals were on the same international flight as an ill person who was later confirmed to have Andes virus. However, they are considered low risk because they did not sit close to the sick passenger.”

MedPage Today, which first reported that people had disembarked from the cruise ship on April 24, has been tracking where people are being monitored for potential hantavirus exposure, since the CDC has not been reporting that information.

In addition to state-based home monitoring, 18 passengers are also being monitored at a national quarantine facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Two of those passengers received official quarantine orders from the CDC; the others agreed to remain at the facility until May 31, which would mark 21 days from their last potential exposure to the virus.

On Sunday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said in a post on X that the hantavirus “situation is stable for now.” There have been 12 cases and 3 deaths, with no additional deaths reported since May 2, he said.

“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed,” Ghebreyesus added. “We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments.”