The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating a potential Hantavirus case in an Illinois resident, which is not connected to the recent outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, IDPH said in a news release.
The person lives in Winnebago County, hasn't traveled internationally and hasn't come in contact with anyone associated with the cruise ship outbreak.
RELATED: U.S. Health Officials Monitoring Hantavirus Cruise Passengers: What To Know In IL
IDPH said the resident is suspected to have acquired a North American strain of the virus while cleaning a home where rodent droppings were present.
"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 said.
The agency shared that the resident isn't seriously ill and is recovering after experiencing mild symptoms that didn't require hospitalization.
IDPH is working with the CDC on additional testing to confirm the resident is positive for Hantavirus. That process can take up to 10 days, according to the CDC.
According to a news release, Illinois has had seven positive cases of hantavirus since 1993, including one death in 1996. The most recent case in Illinois was in March 2025.
According to IDPH, the hantavirus strain most commonly seen in the U.S. is caused by exposure to rodent droppings and is not contagious from person to person.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses found in wild rodents, according to IDPH. Humans can contract a hantavirus infection by breathing dust contaminated by the urine, saliva or feces of an infected rodent.
"Cases are most likely to occur in rural areas where the deer mouse, which appears to be the main source of the virus in the United States, primarily lives," according to information from IDPH. "Buildings, barns, garages, areas where rubbish or wood piles exist, or similar locations can serve as potential settings of Hantavirus infection if such sites are inhabited by infected rodents and conditions favorable for transmission (dry, dusty areas contaminated with rodent excreta) exist. Keeping homes and buildings rodent-free is a primary prevention measure against this group of viruses."
The most recently identified hantavirus can affect the lungs, so the illness has been named hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS.
Symptoms, which may develop between five and 42 days after exposure to the virus, include fever, headache, stomach pain, muscle aches, cough, and nausea and/or vomiting. If a person experiences flu-like symptoms followed by shortness of breath, they should contact a physician, IDPH said.
According to IDPH, to to keep rodents out of a building are to deny them food, water, nesting sites and entry to the building:
Reduce the availability of food and water. Keep your kitchen clean. Store human and pet food in tightly closed containers. Keep food scraps and garbage in rodent-proof metal or thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Store bulk animal food at least 100 feet from the home in containers with tight-fitting lids. Do not allow pet or animal food to sit out. Repair leaky faucets that may provide water to rodents.
Eliminate nesting sites near the building. Keep your lawn mowed; tall grass and weeds make an excellent habitat for rodents. When possible, follow the "100 foot rule": plant gardens and place wood piles, compost heaps, feed bins and trash cans at least 100 feet from the home. Wood piles should be at least 12 inches off the ground. Haul away trash, abandoned vehicles, discarded tires and other items that could serve as rodent nesting sites. Place 3 inches of gravel under the base of mobile homes to discourage burrowing by rodents.
Seal the building. Identify all possible sites of rodent entry. A mouse can fit through a hole slightly larger than 1/4 inch. Use steel screen, sheet metal, galvanized hardware cloth, caulk or weather stripping to seal holes or gaps along the edges of windows and entry doors and garage doors. Check places where pipes and electrical wiring enter the house and seal openings with steel wool.
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