A fourth California resident may have been exposed to the Andes hantavirus associated with the outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship that began last month, California health officials said Monday.
The person was not a passenger on the cruise ship, and may have been exposed while on a plane in South Africa sitting near an ill person who had been a passenger on the ship. The ill person was later confirmed to have hantavirus, and they were taken off the flight before it took off.
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The California resident returned home over the weekend to Sacramento County, has no symptoms, and is being monitored by local health officials, state public health officer Dr. Erica Pan said. They will be monitored for the 42-day incubation period, during which they are advised to limit their activities outside the home to only essential activities.
The three other Californians exposed to the Andes hantavirus were passengers aboard the cruise ship. One disembarked before the outbreak began and returned home to Santa Clara County last week…