Hantavirus outbreak: Emory patient tests negative for Andes hantavirus
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ATLANTA - Health officials said Tuesday that one of the passengers being treated at Emory University Hospital following the deadly MV Hondius cruise outbreak has tested negative for the Andes strain of hantavirus.
What we know:
According to a post on X by the Department of Health and Human Services, the mildly symptomatic U.S. passenger transferred to Atlanta tested negative for the virus overnight.
Officials also said all 16 Americans who arrived Monday at the specialized treatment center in Omaha, Nebraska, remain asymptomatic.
The two passengers brought to Atlanta arrived Monday morning aboard a specially arranged flight from Omaha and were transported to Emory University Hospital’s Serious Communicable Diseases Unit. Emory officials said on Monday that one patient was receiving treatment while another asymptomatic close contact remained under evaluation and monitoring.
Dig deeper:
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius drew international attention after multiple passengers became ill during and after a birdwatching excursion in Argentina.
The outbreak has been tied to a birdwatching excursion in Argentina before the cruise departed. Most cases of hantavirus are transmitted by breathing in dust from dried rodent urine or feces, but the Andes virus is unique in that it can be transmitted from person to person through close and prolonged contact.
Federal and state health officials continue to stress that the risk to the general public remains low.
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