Health officials are investigating a potential hantavirus case in Illinois that is not linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, the state announced May 12.
The case is also not the Andes virus strain, which is the rare strain found among cruise ship passengers that is known to be capable of spreading person-to-person, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported.
The resident lives in Winnebago County, in the northern part of the state near the Wisconsin border, and had not traveled internationally. The person had also not contacted anyone associated with the cruise ship outbreak, according to state officials.
“They are suspected to have acquired a North American strain of the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present,” the IDPH said in a statement….