NORTH CAROLINA — New video shows a paratrooper air‑dropping medical supplies onto a remote island where a British man is suspected of contracting hantavirus, the same outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship now under CDC monitoring.
On Monday, officials confirmed that one of the 18 American passengers being quarantined in Nebraska is from North Carolina, though the state has not released the person’s county of residence.
Several county health departments told Channel 9 they have not been contacted by the state.
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So far, one passenger has tested positive, and the CDC is requiring all exposed travelers to quarantine for six weeks, the full incubation period for the virus.
Doctors stress that the risk to the public is extremely low. There has not been a confirmed case in North Carolina in 30 years, and experts say hantavirus is nothing like COVID‑19 in terms of spread.
Dr. David Priest, Novant Health’s Chief Epidemiology Officer, says the U.S. typically sees about 30 cases a year, mostly in the western states.
“The last case I’m aware of in North Carolina was in 1995,” Priest said. “It’s a very serious infection. The mortality rate is about 40%.”
Hantavirus is usually spread through airborne particles from rodent droppings, urine, or saliva, often when cleaning enclosed spaces.
Priest recommends using a respirator, gloves, and eye protection when handling rodent contamination to avoid stirring particles into the air.
There are no known cases in North or South Carolina right now, and the North Carolina passenger from the cruise ship remains in quarantine.