Mississippi health experts maintain that the risk of acquiring hantavirus in the state remains low. No links to Mississippi are apparent among the 41 Americans currently being monitored for hantavirus.
“We have not identified any passengers on the cruise ship who were natives of Mississippi,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Renia Dotson. “So that kind of puts us on the very low risk right now.”
Shamira Muhammad
With no clear Mississippi links to hantavirus, health officials believe risk to state remains low
Most known variants of hantavirus require airborne exposure to the urine, feces or saliva of rodents. Passengers exposed to the virus onboard the M.V. Hondius cruise came into contact with the Andes species of the virus, which can be spread between people.
The virus can cause severe respiratory distress through the development of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Initial symptoms, including fever, muscle aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, can appear to mirror those associated with other common viruses.
At this time, the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that transmission between people carrying the Andes strain requires close, consistent contact. It also seems to spread through the exchange of bodily fluids.
“If we were to have someone to come here, they would be monitored through the health department if they had had exposure,” said Dr. Risa Webb, an infectious disease consultant with the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “Certainly if they became ill, we would put them in appropriate isolation if they were.”
Webb said the Andes viral strain associated with the cruise hasn’t been an issue in the U.S., and rodent acquired variants are primarily seen in states like Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and in Southern California.
“I think there was one Andes virus case in Delaware in 2018, but that was a person who had been in South America,” said Webb. “They did not contract that here.”
Deer mice, which are found throughout the U.S., are known to be associated with the virus, although other rodents could also potentially spread the disease.
Although Mississippi hasn't had any reported hantavirus cases, Webb said it's always a good idea to follow best practice when cleaning rodent droppings.
“Separate from this particular variant, anytime somebody is cleaning up mice feces, they would want to do that with bleach and probably with a little mask on, so there's nothing aerosolized from that,” she said. “But we have not had any of the non-human to human transmission cases in Mississippi. To my knowledge, it has not been identified.”