Uncommon ‘stealth infection’ discovered at Bay Area prison

Investigation into Possible Hantavirus Case at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center

Officials at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center are looking into a potential hantavirus case after a person showed symptoms linked to this serious respiratory illness.

Samples from the individual are being sent to the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine if there is a hantavirus infection.

Details about the person’s condition or identity have not been disclosed. However, the area of the prison where they were located has undergone decontamination, as noted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

According to department spokesperson Kyle Buis, “The health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff remain CDCR’s top priority.”

Hantavirus is quite rare but can be extremely deadly, with a fatality rate around 35% in the United States, per CDC guidelines. Dr. William Schaffner, an expert on infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, described it as a “stealth infection” because the early symptoms often resemble common flu symptoms—things like fever, sore throat, and body aches.

Dr. Schaffner explained, “People think it’s just a common viral infection… They think they’re going to get better in a day or so, and then this goes on for maybe two, three days, and then they can crash.”

As the illness progresses, serious symptoms can develop, including fluid in the lungs and bleeding due to a drop in platelets. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine or specific treatment, only supportive care for those affected.

In the U.S., hantavirus is mainly transmitted through rodents, especially mice and rats, which carry the virus in their droppings and urine. There’s a risk of infection when people breathe in aerosolized particles from these rodents, often occurring during cleanup in areas where rodents have nested.

Dr. Schaffner emphasized that exposure typically happens when individuals clean up and encounter the droppings. Recently, an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus on a cruise ship gained attention after eight infections and three fatalities occurred. This strain is unique as it can spread between people, but it’s not native to the U.S.

In fact, hantavirus cases in the U.S. are predominantly reported in Western states like Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. A notable outbreak occurred in 2025 in Mammoth Lakes, CA, resulting in three deaths.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, remarked that this San Quentin incident is likely unrelated to the cruise ship outbreak since all passengers were monitored for any adverse symptoms post-return.

If confirmed, a hantavirus case at San Quentin would be rather unusual, given that the disease tends to thrive in desert or arid areas. Dr. Gandhi mentioned that healthcare providers might consider testing for hantavirus if a seemingly healthy individual suddenly exhibits severe symptoms alongside rodent exposure.