A Bay Area resident who was stuck on a cruise ship during a deadly hantavirus outbreak has returned to Santa Clara County and is being monitored by health officials.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department confirmed Sunday that a county resident has returned to California after being exposed to the Andes hantavirus while on the MV Hondius. Three people on board the luxury cruise ship have died, and at least nine others have suspected cases.
The California resident is being monitored in coordination with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency said.
CDPH acknowledged in a statement Friday that one California resident had already returned home, but didn’t disclose where they lived. The agency said another Californian remained on the ship as of Friday.
“At this time, there is no known risk to the public in Santa Clara County,” said Sarah Rudman, director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.
The CDC has emphasized that the risk to the American public “is extremely low” as American passengers stuck on the ship begin to return home.
Hantavirus is a rare disease typically transmitted to humans through inhalation of particles contaminated with the urine, droppings or saliva from a rodent.
Passengers began disembarking the ship Sunday in the Canary Islands. The CDC says it has sent a team to conduct a risk assessment for each American passenger.
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