The two people in Texas who were in quarantine after exposure to hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius have successfully completed their 42-day quarantine without becoming infected. This Andes strain of hantavirus caused the death of three people tied to the ship. Unlike the Sin Nombre hantavirus cases in the United States, the Andes strain can pass from person to person, not just through contact with infected rodents or their urine or droppings. Image: Deer mice, found almost everywhere in North America, are carriers of hantavirus, which causes a rare but potentially fatal syndrome. James Gathany - Centers for Dise/Washington Post News Service
“I’d like to thank the passengers for their willingness to collaborate with public health throughout the monitoring period,” said Texas Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Varun Shetty. “I would also like to thank the many dedicated public health professionals who worked on this situation and work every day to keep their fellow Texans safe.”
Just because these two people are out of quarantine does not mean the risk of hantavirus in Austin goes down. It means it is unlikely for the disease to spread in Texas from this ship outbreak. Central Texas has had cases of hantavirus.
"We, from time to time, will have probable cases or suspected cases," said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority. "We haven’t had any confirmed cases recently."
All hantaviruses are rare to very rare. Since 1993, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the Sin Nombre hantavirus, the U.S. has had 890 cases and 49 of them have been in Texas, according to 2023 statistics, the latest available. Image: Health workers get off the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people with three passengers who died and several others who fell seriously ill with hantavirus. Qasem Elhato/Associated Press
Even with non-Andes hantavirus, the disease gets attention because of its death rate: An estimated 35% to 40% of people infected die from the disease. There is no cure. Doctors can only manage the symptoms and wait for the body to get rid of the virus, said Dr. Brian Metzger, an infectious disease specialist with St. David's HealthCare.
If you see rodent droppings around your home, take precautions: