2nd Arizona passenger confirmed from ship with hantavirus outbreak

Arizona health officials released new information Tuesday about local ties to the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic Ocean cruise ship.

For the first time, the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed that a second person from the state was on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius at the time of the outbreak.

Additionally, the department revealed that a previously reported Arizona passenger resides in Maricopa County.

The second Arizonan is among a group of passengers who were taken to Nebraska for evaluation. This person will return to Arizona after being assessed and transportation is arranged to ensure public safety.

Once home, local health officials will regularly monitor the person for symptoms, similar to the situation with the previously reported Arizona passenger.

Passenger who returned to Arizona has no hantavirus symptoms

On May 8, state health officials announced that the first Arizona passenger had returned to the state, but they did not say where. On Tuesday, they said the person is being monitored by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and has not shown any symptoms of hantavirus.

There is no way to confirm a hantavirus case without signs of illness because testing isn’t effective in somebody who is asymptomatic. It can take more than a month after exposure for symptoms to appear, so regular health checks are required to monitor potential cases.

Overall, three deaths from the Andes virus strain of hantavirus and nine other cases have been confirmed among MV Hondius passengers.

The Andes virus typically spreads through rodents in South America, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is the only type of hantavirus that can spread from person to person, but transmission requires close contact.

“It’s never known to cause an epidemic, and usually clusters or outbreaks are just a few people, or maybe a couple dozen at most,” former Arizona State Epidemiologist Dave Engelthaler told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Monday.

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