Health officials in Ontario County, New York, are investigating a suspected case of hantavirus involving a student at Geneva High School, just after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship sparked international concerns about a COVID-2.0 scenario.
According to health officials, the case is not connected to the rare Andes strain that killed three passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and prompted the quarantine of 18 Americans, including three New Yorkers.
Officials emphasize this is a locally acquired infection typical of the hantavirus strains already present in the United States, and there is no evidence of risk to other students, staff, or the general public.
The Ontario County Department of Health received the alert Thursday morning.
Geneva City Schools sent a letter to parents Friday afternoon confirming the investigation and reassuring families that the situation poses no threat to the school community.
“The Ontario County Department of Health is investigating a suspected case of locally acquired hantavirus involving a Geneva High School student,” the district said in the announcement. “The Department of Health has advised that there is no evidence of risk to other students or staff related to this situation. Health officials have also emphasized that this situation is not tied to the hantavirus strain currently receiving national media attention.”
Ontario County Public Health Director Kate Ott described the timing as “horrible” given the ongoing national attention to the cruise ship outbreak, but stressed that the student’s symptoms have been mild fatigue, aches, and lethargy for several weeks, according to a report from local station WHAM.
“We thought surely this can’t be Hantavirus in relation to what’s going on in the media at this time,” Ott said.
“The case is mild, and hantavirus is not always mild,” Ott added. “It can be really severe, so we’re really grateful for that.”
She noted this is only the second suspected hantavirus case in Ontario County in the past two decades.
The student is not required to quarantine.
Officials are urging residents to take standard precautions when cleaning areas that may have rodent droppings, such as attics, cabins, sheds, and garages, by wearing masks and gloves and wetting down debris before sweeping to avoid aerosolizing particles.
This latest development comes as public health officials continue monitoring the separate Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the cruise ship that departed Argentina in early April.
That rare strain can spread person-to-person and has a roughly 40% fatality rate.
Three passengers died, and 18 Americans were flown back and placed in quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Atlanta facilities.
New York State Health officials have repeatedly stressed that the risk to the general public in the state remains extremely low, with no cases of the cruise-ship strain reported among New York residents.
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