Residents from Westchester and Orange counties were among those on the cruise ship making headlines after it was discovered that passengers were potentially exposed to hantavirus.
WAMC’s Lucas Willard and Elias Guerra discussed the details.
Willard: What can you tell listeners about how this outbreak was discovered and what's unfolded since?
Guerra: According to the World Health Organization, on May 2nd, several of the 147 passengers on the cruise ship, the MV Hondius, were reported as having severe respiratory illness.
The WHO says it has since confirmed 11 cases, including three people who have died.
It has since been reported that a few of the 147 passengers are from New York.
“One passenger is from New York City, one is from Orange County, and the other is from Westchester County. All three are expected to be subject to a 42-day monitoring period,” said Westchester Commissioner of Health, Dr. Sherlita Amler.
Governor Kathy Hochul said recently that there’s no reason for New Yorkers to worry right now, but that she is being proactive.
“We have outstanding researchers here in the state of New York, scientists, our Wadsworth laboratory is second to none, so I've activated them to start preparing New York for worst case scenarios, and hope they don't come,” Hochul said.
Lucas: Tell us more about the New Yorkers who were exposed to the virus.
Guerra: So Jake Rosemarin, from Orange County, has been sharing updates on social media. He is in the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska. He said in an update this morning that it’s his second day in quarantine. He said he is not showing symptoms and that he’s in good spirits.
Lucas: And what else can you tell us about this virus and how it might impact Hudson Valley residents?
Guerra: So Lisa Lahiff, deputy commissioner at the Orange County Department of Health, told me there’s no reason to believe that the virus in Orange County at this moment.
The majority of the way people get hantavirus is by inhaling aerosolized dropping and urine from rodents that carry this virus.
“The majority of the way that people get hantavirus is by inhaling aerosolized urine, droppings, etc., from a particular rodent that carries this virus. My understanding is that this particular type of rodent doesn't live in Orange County,” Lahiff said.
She did, however, encourage residents to take general precautions when outside.
“You should always be careful when you're working in an area like a shed around this time of year, when you're cleaning [or] getting the patio furniture cushions out, to be careful of any kind of debris,” Lahiff said.
I asked Lahiff if there are any similarities between this virus and COVID, or if there's anything we learned from the COVID pandemic that could be put into practice during the current situation.
She said the main difference is that COVID was mostly unknown at the time, and we understand hantavirus more than we did COVID.
Lahiff said while hantavirus is already rare, “this particular strain of this virus is even more rare, it is not unknown.”
Willard: Well, thank you for that update, Elias.
Guerra: Anytime. Of course.
