By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Arizona health officials are monitoring a person who recently returned to the state after disembarking a polar expedition cruise connected to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS).
Read more Person rescued after falling off cliff in northern Arizona
Officials and University of Arizona experts emphasized the individual is considered low risk and, at this time, has no symptoms.
“I think it’s important to note that this individual is low risk. We don’t have any information to believe that they have been directly exposed,” ADHS said Thursday.
Where in Arizona is the person?
ADHS said it is not disclosing where in Arizona the person is located. The agency said the individual’s local health department has been notified and is working closely with state officials to evaluate any potential risk to the public.
What is hantavirus — and how serious is it?
Hantavirus is not new to the Southwest. Over the past several decades, Arizona and surrounding states have seen outbreaks of hantavirus-related illness.
Dr. Rajat Madan, the University of Arizona’s chief of infectious diseases, said the virus can be severe once it progresses.
“It can affect your kidneys, your lungs, and once it starts affecting your lungs and your heart, that is when it becomes very deadly,” Madan said.
Why experts think this may not be the strain typically seen in Arizona
Health experts in Tucson said the strain linked to the cruise outbreak is likely not the variant more commonly associated with the region.
In Arizona, hantavirus infections have traditionally been tied to exposure to rodent droppings, particularly mice. But experts said the strain connected to the cruise outbreak is believed to be linked to Argentina and has shown a limited ability to spread from person to person.
“This particular strain has been shown in the past to be more transmissible between human to human, but still, the degree is very low,” Madan said.
Cruise outbreak details
Health officials said the outbreak aboard the polar expedition cruise has been linked to three deaths and nine reported cases.
Read more Tucson Police conducting death investigation near Grant, Oracle
ADHS said it was notified Tuesday that a person who had been on the ship was now in Arizona. Public health officials said the person is being tested and monitored, but is not quarantined, and officials do not believe the individual had direct exposure to someone confirmed to be infected.
Dr. Michael Worobey, head of the University of Arizona’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, said that based on what is currently known, large-scale impacts in Arizona are unlikely.
“I don’t think that Arizona is at risk of really any huge consequences for this outbreak and in all likelihood there will be no transmission from that person onto others,” Worobey said.
Other U.S. passengers being monitored
Some passengers who may have been exposed have returned to the United States, including two people in Georgia andone in Arizona, officials said. None have reported symptoms.
Worobey noted that while person-to-person spread can occur with some variants, it is still considered limited.
“Each person who’s infected can infect two other people,” Worobey said.
What health experts advise right now
Doctors said the best guidance is to follow official public health direction as the investigation continues.
“Listen to what the public health authorities are saying and follow their lead,” Madan said.
ADHS said the Arizona resident is continuing to be tested and monitored and, as of the latest update, is not showing symptoms.
================================================================
Are you streaming 13 News?
Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.
Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.
If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.
Read more Suspect in Navajo woman’s disappearance sentenced to 5 years for robbery after plea deal
You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.