California Prison Reports Possible Hantavirus Case in 38-Year-Old Inmate

A prison in California said on Wednesday that an inmate has possibly contracted hantavirus. The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center confirmed that a 38-year-old inmate at the facility has contracted a possible case of hantavirus. The situation was first reported on Monday, but the prison confirmed on Wednesday that the illness was being treated as a possible hantavirus infection. Prison officials said that they do not believe the virus was spread person-to-person, and it has not announced a quarantine, according to ABC 7. The inmate is reportedly in stable condition. While the prison does have medical facilities, an official told the broadcaster that she did not know if the inmate was being treated at the facility or had been returned to his cell. Prison officials said no other potential hantavirus cases have been identified. The prison houses more than 3,000 inmates. "The health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff remain CDCR's top priority," a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is rare, but can cause serious respiratory complications. The condition has a 30 to 40 percent mortality rate. According to the California Department of Public Health, there is no antiviral treatment. Hantavirus surged into the public's consciousness in May after several people on a cruise ship fell ill — and three died — following a hantavirus outbreak. Enclosed spaces — like cruise ships and prisons — are especially susceptible to the spread of contagious diseases. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the illness spread to more than half a million US inmates and killed nearly 3,000, according to the Prison Policy Institute. The most common forms of hantavirus do not spread person-to-person and require someone to breathe in contaminated particles from rodent feces or urine or to touch a contaminated surface before it can spread. A rare variant of the virus can spread between people, but even that variant requires significant exposure to an infected individual's bodily fluids.