New Yorkers Among Passengers Monitored After Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship
Three New Yorkers are among 17 Americans who have returned to the U.S. after being aboard a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak. The passengers are under a 42-day monitoring period in Nebraska and Atlanta. The hantavirus, a rare rodent-borne illness, has been associated with three deaths, but health officials emphasize that the risk to the general public is low. The virus typically spreads through inhalation of contaminated rodent droppings, but the current outbreak involves the Andes virus, which may spread between people in rare cases.