The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a potential Hantavirus case affecting a Winnebago County resident.
IDPH stresses that the case is not connected to a recent outbreak in the news on the MV Hondius cruise ship. It says the person suspected of contracting the virus has not travelled internationally nor had any contact with anyone associated with that outbreak. Rather, IDPH says the person is thought to have acquired a North American strain of the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present.
The IDPH states that "unlike the Andes strain of Hantavirus responsible for the cruise outbreak, the North American strains are not known to spread from person-to-person. The risk of contracting Hantavirus of any kind remains very low for Illinois residents.”
IDPH says the resident is recovering after experiencing mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization.
IDPH says it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on additional testing to confirm the resident is positive for Hantavirus, a process the CDC say can take up to 10 days.
IDPH says it is coordinating closely with local health departments including the Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD), as well as the CDC.
IDPH says before this, Illinois has had seven positive cases of Hantavirus since 1993, the most recent in March 2025. The U.S. has reported 890 cases from 1993 to the present.
Dr. Sandra Martell, Public Health Administrator for the Winnebago County Health Department, issued the following statement:
The Winnebago County Health Department is working with the Illinois Department of Public Health on a potential case of Hantavirus in a Winnebago County resident. This potential case is not related to the cruise ship outbreak. Hantaviruses are mainly spread from rodents to people through rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. The potential case had direct contact with rodent droppings while cleaning and had symptoms consistent with an exposure to Hantavirus. The suspected strain is not spread person to person. There is no risk to the community from this potential case and the resident is recovering.
While Hantavirus infection is rare, exposure to field mice and their droppings is common especially in communities similar to ours, you can take steps to reduce the risk of exposure to Hantavirus while cleaning up after rodents.