Minnesotan Exposed to Hantavirus

(Learfield News/St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Health says it is monitoring a person in Minnesota who may have been briefly exposed overseas to someone infected with the Andes strain of hantavirus.

Health officials stress the risk to the public remains very low, and the person being monitored is not showing symptoms.

The exposure is connected to a passenger aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship who tested positive for the virus.

Hantaviruses are typically spread by rodents, but the Andes strain is the only type known to spread between people through close contact with someone showing symptoms.

MDH says it is working closely with the CDC, local public health agencies, and healthcare partners while continuing to monitor the situation.