>> Although it's rare the junta virus has been top of mind for many over the past 2 weeks.

outbreak of this serious disease has infected at least 9 passengers on a cruise ship that departed from Argentina in April leading to 3 deaths so far.

Meanwhile, public health officials in Illinois reported a suspected case in Winnebago County just this week that is unrelated to the cruise ship outbreak.

This has many wondering about the risk, Illinois and space.

The response efforts and how people can better prepare for emerging diseases.

Joining us, our Dr Robert Murphy, a professor of medicine at Northwestern University.

And Dr William Sander, a professor of preventative medicine and public health at the University of Illinois.

Thanks to both for joining us.

Dr.

Sander, I want to start with you.

How does the hand to the junta virus excuse me spread from animals to humans?

>> Well, thanks for having us.

I think the big way that we see how virus spreading is typically from droppings and urine building up and environmental conditions.

And typically down those stairs lives and that's when people can help develop pulmonary for respiratory syndromes and so you to the humiliation oftentimes of these sort of toppings are buildups from mice or rats.

And it takes quite a bit of effort.

Oftentimes areas like this then have somebody read that get infected.

>> So it's not the kind of thing.

It's not easy to pick up necessarily, but clearly it can be done.

>> Correct, correct.

>> Dr.

Murphy, what was your reaction to the word of this outbreak on the in behind us when you learned about it?

>> You know, there's a lot of things going on that are bad that we should have learned from the COVID pandemic that are sort of not being done one although the virus here in the United States that have the virus in the United States, which is called said number.

>> only transmitted as Dr Center from urine droppings feces from these mice.

But the Andes virus, which is the one involved in the cruise ship is a is a completely different virus and can transmitted person to person and many of the people on have been who have tested positive.

A lot of some of them have no symptoms.

So it's a turning everything around at this particular point.

>> And as I understand, Dr Murphy, it took health officials on the ship awhile to realize that it was hantavirus that they were dealing with.

>> Well, it took well, first of all, it's it's not that common, an Argentina.

It's 15 to 18 times more common then in the United States, we have about 30 cases per year in the United States.

They had 100 cases in the last year.

compared you know, the population is about one-sixth United kids.

they have quite a bit more.

Why is that?

You know, could be the animal itself.

It's a different animal.

Each type of animal has a different kind virus.

They can also be because humans are also transmitted.

We don't really know.

And, you know, it's just a it's very unfortunate.

And, you know, we have the people keep saying, oh, it's so, you know, you have to be in a rural area.

There has to be mice running around whatever.

You know, the cases here in the United States, you know, it was Gene Hackman wife living in very nice house in New Mexico who got it and you know, you have a luxury cruise where, you know, 3 people died before the even figured out what was going on.

>> So can still happen.

Dr Sonder Doctor Sanders season.

We have a lot of road and struggles known for its rat population.

Why hunt a virus?

Not much of a threat here in the city.

>> It's a much of a threat because, you know, mice that we as Murphy alluded to.

So strip Iris is not real transmitted by most of the rodents that we have here in the Chicago area.

So it's not as big of a concern.

typically see a lot of the number to iris cases in the western part of the new because the species of my sons most readily apparent there, and it's also the environmental conditions.

We suspect to be more favorable to read wooded areas as well.

>> To that end, Dr Murphy, what level of concern should people in Chicago or even the rest of Illinois?

Because there was a separate case, unrelated case in Winnebago County.

But what concerns you have?

>> But center's really point out, is primarily a disease of the Western states, especially the 4 corner area of the West.

However, we've had 8 cases in Illinois, including the one you just mentioned that was in the Rockford area and Winnebago County.

So you can you can definitely get it here.

And those cases are pretty well documented in the they were definitely related animal to man.

That was not the human to human it all.

That's not happening in the United States, which is a good thing.

Can things change?

You bet they can that virus can find the Andes virus can find a host here, a type of rat mouse or something like that.

You know, it could be really a game changer.

>> Doctor Sander beyond haunted virus.

Are there other health concerns that come up because of the interaction between humans and wildlife that could occur even locally?

>> Sure.

I mean, we're always concerned about a new emerging seasons.

We've had a prime example, obviously COVID-19 and we're jumping like human to human and cause a global pandemic, but we even have cases now are concerned about bird flu, highly pathogenic avian influenza in the last 3 as that's made the news and and made into Coutts admitted into dairy workers as well.

We haven't any cases of that and people Illinois, but recently cases, the wild birds you're in the state.

And so that's one of those that we keep our Jan.

I think the other pieces rabies is another one that we always think about for much of an odd to see a standpoint.

And that's our big carrier rabies.

And we certainly have written and sear in Illinois, a lot 80 honor cases of rabies in bats, time most every year.

And so that's always a concern from our standpoint, trying monitor that and make sure that you're taking on the cautions from a month.

>> Dr Murphy, our public health institutions responding to this outbreak.

>> Well, the WHO has basically taken the lead in the global outbreak of the heart of arson, as you know, United States withdrew from the who earlier this year.

>> And >> we're basically picking up the information from the newspapers and just interpersonal context that exists there.

>> All the people that were leading the agencies that would be working on Hunter virus at the CDC.

Have left the CDC.

They've been either fired or they took early retirement.

>> All those positions are empty right now.

So there's a there's a lack of leadership there.

director of the CDC is the same director of the NIH.

Right now.

He's doing it as the interim role is not trained in infectious diseases.

So there is a a lack leadership at the major health institutions and the Department of Health and Human Services in general.

There seems to just be this focus on, you know, the toxicity of vaccines that seems to be doing and they Great sounds like some concern and for for medical professionals who look to the CDC as far as if from what you're saying is what it sounds like.

That's what we're gonna have to leave.

at at the highest level of the states are doing a very good job.

>> You know, typically it's the Fed's leaving everything.

But now it's the states that are leading a different different situation.

Of course, happening today.