The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a potential hantavirus case involving a Winnebago County resident not linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak or the Andes strain.
The Illinois case that is being investigating involves someone who may have picked up the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present, the health department stated in a news release issued May 12. The individual is believed to have the North American strain of hantavirus, which is not spread from person to person like the Andes strain.
The “IDPH is proactively communicating this update given increased public interest in the topic,” the release states. “The risk of contracting Hantavirus of any kind remains very low for Illinois residents.”
The heath department has not been notified of any Illinois residents being passengers on the MV Hondius during the hantavirus outbreak.
According to the health department, the individual lives in Winnebago County and has not traveled internationally or come in contact with anyone associated with the MV Hondius outbreak. The resident is not seriously ill, the release states, and is recovering after experiencing mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization.
The health department is working with the CDC to perform additional testing to confirm the resident is positive for hantavirus, a process that can take up to 10 days.
There have been seven cases of hantavirus in Illinois since 1993.
Corina Curry is the editor of the Rockford Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IDPH, CDC investigating potential hantavirus case in Winnebago County
Reporting by Corina Curry, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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