Health authorities: No risk of Hantavirus transmission in Yibin

A resident in Yibin, Sichuan province has no risk of Hantavirus infection despite online rumors linking him to a recent outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius, local health authorities said on Saturday.

The Yibin Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the resident, surnamed Chen, disembarked from the cruise ship on March 31, while the first confirmed case boarded on April 1 — meaning there was no overlap in time or space between them.

Chen has shown no related symptoms in the past 39 days. Nucleic acid tests for Hantavirus on Chen and his family members have all returned negative, the center added.

Experts have concluded that Chen is at no risk of infection and there is no risk of community transmission in Yibin, according to the center.