Health
Possible hantavirus case under investigation in upstate New York; no connection to deadly cruise ship outbreak
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A “suspected” hantavirus case in upstate New York is being investigated, according to the Ontario County Public Health Department (OCPHD) based in Canandaigua.
The department announced in a Facebook post Thursday that it is currently “investigating a suspected locally acquired hantavirus case.”
“There is NO connection to the cruise ship outbreak, and there is no risk to the general public,” OCPHD officials wrote.
The investigation comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship that has sickened multiple passengers and crew members and left three people dead.
AMERICAN EVACUATED FROM CRUISE SHIP TESTS POSITIVE FOR HANTAVIRUS, ANOTHER HAS SYMPTOMS, HHS CONFIRMS
As of May 13, the World Health Organization (WHO) said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case. Three deaths have also been linked to the outbreak.
Health officials have emphasized that hantavirus infections remain rare and that the risk to the general public is low.
Human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is considered extremely rare and has only been suspected in certain strains, including the Andes hantavirus strain linked to the cruise ship outbreak.
HANTAVIRUS IN THE US: WHERE THE RARE, SOMETIMES DEADLY DISEASE HAS BEEN FOUND
A passenger wearing a face mask and blue protective gown gives a thumbs up inside a bus after disembarking from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on May 10. (Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)
“Hantavirus infections are rare in New York,” the OCPHD said. “The virus is spread through mouse and rodent droppings, especially when urine, feces, or nesting materials become aerosolized during cleaning.”
The OCPHD urged residents to take precautions when cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents may be present, including wearing gloves and masks when opening or cleaning attics, cabins, sheds and garages.
The OCPHD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
REPORTED HANTAVIRUS PROTOCOL BREACH AT HOSPITAL FORCES 12 EMPLOYEES INTO 6-WEEK QUARANTINE
A 3D illustration shows the structure of hantavirus, an RNA virus transmitted to humans through rodent excreta that can cause severe illnesses including hemorrhagic fever, renal disease and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. (iStock)
The cruise ship outbreak has prompted heightened precautions internationally.
In the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center quarantined 12 staff members after officials said a hantavirus patient’s blood and urine were not handled under the strictest international protocols required for the specific virus strain.
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Hospital officials said the risk of infection to staff remained low but called the quarantine a precautionary measure.
The outbreak aboard the MV Hondius began after a Dutch cruise ship carrying 147 passengers and crew departed Argentina on April 1 for a South Atlantic voyage.
According to the WHO, investigators believe the initial infection may have stemmed from rodent exposure during birdwatching excursions before boarding the ship.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
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A common over-the-counter medication combined with a home exercise program could help ease cognitive issues for cancer patients.
That’s according to a study from the University of Rochester, which tested the effects of physical activity and low-dose ibuprofen on patients receiving chemotherapy treatment.
“Chemo brain” (also called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or CRCI) is a known side effect of cancer treatment that can affect memory, concentration and multitasking ability. Up to 80% of people who receive chemo experience some degree of cognitive impairment, previous studies have shown.
BRAIN AGING MAY ACCELERATE AFTER CANCER TREATMENT, STUDY SUGGESTS
Rochester’s phase 2 trial studied 86 adult cancer patients in New York undergoing chemotherapy who were experiencing cognitive problems. The average age was 53 and nearly 89% of participants were women, according to a university press release.
Participants who took only ibuprofen also showed greater cognitive improvements than the placebo group. (IStock)
Patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group participated in home exercise designed specifically for cancer patients, a second group combined the exercises with ibuprofen (200 milligrams, or one pill, twice a day), the third group took ibuprofen alone and a fourth took a placebo alone.
TWO POPULAR TYPES OF EXERCISE COULD REDUCE CANCER GROWTH, STUDY FINDS
The exercise program consisted of low to moderate-intensity activity, including progressive walking and training with resistance bands.
“This is one of the first studies specifically designed to assess these interventions for cancer-related cognitive impairment during chemotherapy in patients with multiple diseases using both performance-based cognitive assessments and patient-reported outcomes,” said lead author Michelle C. Janelsins, Ph.D., MPH, of the University of Rochester and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, in the press release.
Up to 80% of people who receive chemo experience some degree of cognitive impairment.
After six weeks, exercise was linked to the clearest improvements in attention and cognitive function, according to input from family and friends. Those in the group who combined exercise and placebo showed better attention levels compared to those who took just a placebo.
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Participants who took only ibuprofen also showed greater cognitive improvements than the placebo group.
The findings suggest that ibuprofen may provide some improvement in cognitive function, although the benefits appeared to be smaller and less consistent than those seen with exercise.
“Chemo brain” (also called chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, or CRCI) is a known side effect of cancer treatment that can affect memory, concentration and multitasking ability. (iStock)
This suggests that inflammation may contribute to cancer-related cognitive impairment, and that anti-inflammatory medications could be an effective therapeutic approach.
“We are encouraged by the findings of this trial that suggest possible benefits of both interventions for some cognitive domains,” Janelsins said. “Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors.”
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No adverse side effects were reported during the trial.
The findings were published in Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
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There were some limitations of the study, the researchers noted, including the small sample size and short duration. The effects were also not consistent across every measure of cognitive function.
As the majority of participants were women, the findings may not be generalized to broader populations.
“Clearly, we saw a more pronounced effect with exercise, which is notable considering the multiple health benefits of exercise for cancer survivors,” the researcher said. (iStock)
Researchers are planning larger phase 3 trials to confirm whether ibuprofen and exercise can effectively improve chemo-related cognitive impairment.
“Since we saw cognitive benefits in some domains and not others, we will also consider additional doses and longer durations in future research trials,” said Janelsins.
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Investigators emphasized that patients should speak with their oncology team before starting ibuprofen or exercise interventions during chemotherapy, as certain treatments or medical conditions could increase the risk of side effects and complications.
U.S. health officials are monitoring 16 additional people across the country for symptoms of hantavirus whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not previously mentioned, the agency said on Thursday.
The new people the C.D.C. reported were not on the cruise ship but were passengers on an April 25 flight to Johannesburg and exposed to someone known to have been infected, said Dr. David Fitter, who is leading the C.D.C.’s response to the outbreak.
The new total of those being monitored in the United States is 41, a significant increase over the 18 passengers from the Dutch cruise ship who were brought back to the United States on Monday. They are quarantining at special facilities in Omaha and Atlanta.
Seven other passengers from the cruise ship had disembarked on April 24 in St. Helena, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, returned to the United States on commercial flights and are being monitored by state health departments.
As of Thursday, there were no confirmed cases in the United States, Dr. Fitter said.
The infected passenger was a 69-year-old Dutch woman whose husband was the first person to die in the outbreak, on April 11. She was among those who disembarked from the ship on April 24. The next day, she flew from St. Helena to Johannesburg. She collapsed shortly after arrival and died on April 26. She was confirmed on May 4 to have had hantavirus.
C.D.C. officials would not give any other information about the 16 passengers, including where they had gone once they reached the United States.
It was not clear whether all Americans exposed to the virus are now back in the country, or whether there are additional people being monitored abroad.
“Our job is to ensure that we are monitoring and in contact with anybody that might have been on the flight this person had taken,” Dr. Fitter told reporters. The agency is “monitoring all Americans that potentially would have been exposed, whether in the U.S. or abroad, and we have been in contact with them,” he said.
In an interview on Sunday with CNN, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the C.D.C.’s acting director, said none of the seven passengers who returned to the United States earlier had symptoms at the time of their travel, so officials had not seen a need to alert the public or trace contacts.
For the moment, quarantine is essentially voluntary. Officials are encouraging those who were exposed to the virus to “stay at home and avoid being around people during their 42-day monitoring period,” Dr. Fitter said.
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