WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Eighteen Americans who were aboard the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak are being monitored at health facilities in the United States this week. With rodents being the primary carrier of the virus, a local pest control company is addressing how high the risk is in Kansas and why infestation is always a health concern.
“So that cruise ship environment, unfortunately, created the right environment to spread person to person, but that is not, shouldn’t be concerning to those of us throughout the country or other countries,” Kathleen Sebelius said.
A map from the CDC shows only 20 confirmed cases in Kansas ever. It is more common in the Southwest, but even there it’s rare. And it’s not the same strain causing concern now.
Local concerns
With rodents being identified as carriers of hantavirus, customers of pest control companies have been curious…