An Illinois resident who was tested for hantavirus does not have the infection, state health officials said Monday.
The Winnebago County resident was tested last week after they were likely exposed to rodent droppings and developed mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization, the Illinois Department of Public Health said at the time. The person did not come into contact within anyone tied to the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak that made headlines in recent weeks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the patient and did not detect hantavirus, according to the state health department. Health officials stressed that the risk for the virus spreading in Illinois remains very low.
Three people died from the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius that set off April 1 from Argentina. Nine confirmed cases have been linked to that outbreak. Symptoms can include fever, chills and muscle aches, and usually show between one to eight weeks after exposure.
None of those cruise ship passengers were from Illinois, according to the Illinois and Chicago departments of public health.
The state has had seven cases of hantavirus since 1993, the most recent being in March 2025, according to the state agency.