2 N.J. residents being monitored after potential exposure to hantavirus connected to cruise ship

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

Two New Jersey residents are being monitored after they were potentially exposed to a person infected with hantavirus.

The New Jersey Department of Health said Friday it was notified of the development by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the state health department, an infected person had departed from the cruise ship MV Hondius, and the potential exposure to the New Jersey residents happened during air travel abroad.

The health department went on to say that neither individual is currently reported to have symptoms suggestive of hantavirus.

The New Jersey residents were not passengers on the cruise ship.

Officials said they will not release any information about where in New Jersey those residents live, or any other identifying details, to protect their privacy.

The health department said it is working with local health officials to monitor returning travelers as a precaution.

“At this time, the risk to the general public in New Jersey remains very low. No current hantavirus cases have been identified in the state, and there is no history of a confirmed hantavirus case reported in New Jersey,” the state department of health said.

The health department added the following:

Hantaviruses circulating in the United States are carried by rodents and are not known to spread between people. The strain associated with the MV Hondius outbreak – Andes virus – is found in South America and is the only known hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission, though such transmission is rare and generally requires close, prolonged contact with an infected individual or their bodily fluids.

The incubation period ranges from four to 42 days and asymptomatic persons are not considered infectious.

Health agencies in several other U.S. states are conducting similar monitoring of returning passengers. NJDOH will continue to coordinate with local and federal public health partners and will provide updates as the situation develops.

This is an evolving public health situation. The information provided reflects current knowledge and is subject to change as additional facts are confirmed by local, federal, and international partners.