State officials, Kinston residents speak on hantavirus outbreak

KINSTON, N.C. (WITN) - State health officials confirmed Monday that a North Carolina resident was a passenger on the M/V Hondius, the cruise ship linked to a recent hantavirus outbreak.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the resident connected to the exposure is currently being monitored in Nebraska.

Some travelers said the news is not changing their plans.

“I’m actually going on a cruise ship in about three days on the 15th, so I’d say it’s not too much of a concern,” resident Alexander Ibarra said.

Others said they would avoid cruising for now.

“I’m not going on any cruise ships anytime soon,” one resident said.

State Public Health Veterinarian Carl Williams emphasized that the virus is not easily transmitted and should not be compared to COVID-19.

“This is a virus that’s not easily transmitted, so this is not something that’s going to become a pandemic. It’s not going to spread like that,” Williams said.

Williams said the virus involved is the Andes virus, a hantavirus strain native to Argentina, and the rodents associated with it are not found in North Carolina.

“This is something that is concerning if you live in Argentina or you travel there,” Williams said.

Some residents said misinformation online can make it harder to understand what’s happening.

“You’ve got to know where to go to get your resources on that kind of stuff. I feel like at this point, government officials and that type of information is where you should go — anything else is unreliable,” resident Ty Hedgepa said.

Williams said hantaviruses are tied to specific rodent reservoirs, and officials do not expect the Andes virus to become established in the United States.