Ontario County Investigates Suspected Local Hantavirus Case, Says 0 Public Risk

5 articles · Updated · 13WHAM-TV · May 14

Ontario County said it is investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case in Hopewell, New York, an unusual public disclosure prompted by anxiety tied to the current cruise-ship outbreak.
Kate Ott, the county’s public health director, said the case is not linked to the Dutch cruise ship outbreak and poses no risk to the general public.
New York has recorded only a handful of human hantavirus cases since reporting became mandatory in 1995, with symptoms ranging from mild illness to severe disease.
U.S. hantaviruses typically spread through aerosolized rodent urine, feces or saliva during cleaning, sweeping or vacuuming, and the strains found in the United States are not known to spread person to person.
The person-to-person Andes virus found in rodents in Argentina and Chile is the strain drawing national attention after the cruise ship outbreak, which has killed 3 people and infected at least 11 others.

A rare virus spread between cruise passengers. Does this outbreak signal a new threat for future global travel?

The Andes virus has a 38% fatality rate. How are U.S. hospitals prepared for the quarantined cruise passengers?

What common cleaning mistakes could expose your family to the deadly hantavirus now found in New York?