Maryland Health Officials Address Concerns About Hantavirus

Maryland health officials held a news conference today to discuss Maryland’s response to  Hantavirus. The Maryland Department of Health is monitoring two Maryland residents who were on a flight that briefly included a M/V Hondius cruise ship passenger infected with hantavirus. Dr. Meg Sullivan Deputy Secretary, Public Health Services, Maryland Department of Health in her opening remarks mentioned two key points…

The other point is that, at this time, the risk to the public in Maryland remains very low. Although most diseases stemming from hantavirus are not known to spread between people, the disease associated with M/V Hondius passengers is the Andes virus found in South America. It is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission, though such transmission is rare and generally requires close, prolonged contact with an infected individual or their bodily fluids. The incubation period ranges from four to 42 days and asymptomatic persons are not considered infectious.

She also explained more about hantavirus is…

Although the risk is said to be very low, health authorities are monitoring the situation out of an abundance of caution.