Kansas Department of Health and Environment is now monitoring three Kansas residents with what the department calls a “high-risk exposure” to somebody confirmed with Andes hantavirus that was on the MV Hondius cruise ship now grounded due to the illness.
None of the three Kansans were aboard the cruise ship and, at last word, none had any symptoms. People are not considered infectious unless they have symptoms, including fever, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Early symptoms then can transition into hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, with cough, chest tightness and trouble breathing. Hantavirus, Andes or other forms, can be fatal, and there are no specific treatments available at this time.
Typical hantavirus is spread by contact with wild rodent saliva, urine and/or droppings. Andes hantavirus, meanwhile, spreads from person-to-person in what KDHE says are “close, prolonged contact” situations with symptomatic people.
