Hantavirus isn't immediate threat to Chicago, experts say: ‘People should not be alarmed'

CHICAGO - Amid the high-profile hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, experts say there is no reason for Illinoisans to be afraid. There's no immediate risk of the disease spreading to Chicago and the area, they say, unless an infected individual were to come to the region.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily found in species of rodents across the world. The virus can be transmitted to humans through urine or fecal matter and cause fatal lung and kidney complications in humans.

The disease made headlines last year when officials announced that actor Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus that February in their New Mexico home. Her husband died about a week later of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's, authorities said.

Three people who were aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship are dead after an outbreak of the rare disease, according to the World Health Organization. WHO confirmed this outbreak of hantavirus is the Andes virus strain, which can spread from human to human with close and prolonged contact.

"People should not be alarmed," said Noé de la Sancha, a Chicago mammologist and Fulbright award-winning researcher who studies viruses in small mammals and how they can affect the communities around them. "There is no indication that this could not turn into the next COVID-19 at this point."

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a May 6 statement also said the American public's risk of catching hantavirus is "extremely low."

Hantavirus is not a new disease. The United States has been tracking the disease since 1993 during an outbreak of hantavirus in the Four Corners region. From 1993-2023, there were fewer than 900 cases of the virus in the country, according to CDC data.

There has been just one case of hantavirus in Illinois in the past decade, which occurred in 2019, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data.

De la Sanch, an assistant professor of environmental science and studies at DePaul University, suggests the reemergence and spread of novel viruses like hantaviruses may be due to climate change, deforestation and urbanization. The combination of anthropogenic activities is creating space for contact between viruses and species that have never before interacted.

"As we have these interactions in more novel situations caused by things like deforestation, changing climate and deforestation, we're creating the perfect storm for new hosts to encounter these new viruses and for viruses to go from one host to the next," de la Sancha said.

However, he said there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding hantaviruses. There are many strains of hantavirus that can be carried by many types of rodents and even bats in some areas, according to de la Sancha. In some cases, scientists have a minimal understanding of those regional species.

"If we know very little about the mammals, we know even less about their pathogens," de la Sancha said. "Generally speaking, we know very little about these viruses worldwide."

While hantavirus remains beyond the Illinois state lines, there are still ways for Chicagoans to protect themselves from potential illness, especially if they regularly work outside or in a place where there may be field mice, a potential carrier of the virus, according to de la Sancha.

"While one should not panic right now, it is important to be cautious," de la Sancha said.

When cleaning areas like a garden shed or garage, de la Sancha advises Chicagoans to take precautions. That may include wearing a mask and gloves, plus ensuring the area is as well-ventilated as possible to air out dust, which could include dried rodent fecal matter or urine.

"Right now, people should not be afraid of hantavirus, but we should be mindful that there is a legitimate risk, not only to the Chicagoland area, but in North America and in other parts of the world," de la Sancha said.

Strains of hantavirus can result in hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, characterized by fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, rapid progression to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, like in individuals on the MV Hondius cruise ship, according to the World Health Organization.

Symptoms start one to eight weeks after exposure and initially can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, according to the CDC. Other early-onset symptoms may include fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Mayo Clinic.

As the virus progresses, it may lead to damage to the lungs and heart.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 4:20 PM.