Hantavirus risk in Illinois is ‘very low,’ state health officials say

What we know about the hantavirus ship passengers quarantined in Nebraska | ChicagoLIVE

American passengers from the Hantavirus outbreak cruise ship are quarantining in Nebraska. Here's what we know so far. 

CHICAGO - As Americans on a ship stricken with a hantavirus outbreak return home, the threat of the virus to Illinois communities is "very low," according to the state’s public health agency.

What they're saying:

Of the group of 18 American passengers on the ship, one has tested positive for hantavirus, and another has shown mild symptoms.

But the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said on Monday that it had not been notified that any Illinois residents were passengers on that ship during the outbreak.

The IDPH added that "while the risk to Illinois communities is currently very low, IDPH is coordinating closely with health care providers, local public health departments, and emergency management partners."

"IDPH will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide timely information to the public should there be any notable updates," the agency said.

RELATED: Hantavirus latest: American evacuated tests positive, 2 passengers relocated to Atlanta

Big picture view:

CDC and Nebraska health officials said on Monday that plans were in place to care for the 18 passengers who returned to the U.S. and for the other Americans aboard the cruise ship who disembarked and returned previously. 

Officials detailed the following passengers: 

• 18 Americans evacuated over the weekend
• 16 are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
• 2 were relocated to Emory University in Atlanta

In Nebraska: 

• 15 are in a quarantine unit, which is set up like a hotel for people who are well. They can stay for the 42-day incubation period, but individual decisions will be made with health officials in the coming days if each person can return home in coordination with their state health departments.
• 1 is in their biocontainment unit.

Dig deeper:

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, usually presents between one and eight weeks after exposure to an infected rodent. The Andes strain, which is confirmed in this outbreak, shows symptoms within six weeks, WHO officials said.

Hantavirus symptoms can feel a lot like the flu. Fever, chills, muscle aches and maybe a headache are common. 

The other syndrome caused by hantavirus, known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, which can cause bleeding, high fever, and kidney failure, usually develops within a week or two after exposure.

There is no treatment or cure for hantavirus, but medical experts say early diagnosis can increase the chance of survival.