MD Monitoring 2 Residents After Possible Hantavirus Exposure

MARYLAND — Two people are being monitored by the Maryland Department of Health for possible hantavirus exposure.

The health agency said in a release that the two individuals had flown on the same flight as an M/V Hondius cruise passenger infected with the virus. The state health update was issued from Baltimore.

Officials have said the monitoring is being conducted out of an abundance of caution, adding that the public risk remains low in the state.

There are no current plans to release any identifying information about either of the residents in order to protect their privacy, according to the department.

Related: Health Officials Monitoring Hantavirus Cruise Passengers: What To Know In MD

The state agency says the hantavirus is part of a family of viruses carried by rodents, with the virus not easily spread from person to person.

The only strain thought to spread human-to-human is the Andes virus, which is found in South America. Officials say it can cause a severe and often fatal lung disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

The illness associated with M/V Hondius passengers is the Andes virus. The incubation period for the virus ranges from four to 42 days.

Officials say Maryland hasn't recorded a hantavirus case since 2019, noting that the state has never reported a case of the Andes strain.

Similar hantavirus cases have been reported in Arizona, California and Georgia.