Hantavirus live updates: US has no cases of Andes hantavirus

The recent hantavirus outbreak has left some pet owners wondering whether the virus can be spread through the furry creature sleeping on their couch or curled up on their lap.

While cats and dogs can be infected with the hantavirus, they generally don't have symptoms and experts say they are highly unlikely to infect their owners.

And even when a dog or cat does have a hantavirus infection, they don't transfer the virus to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even owners of pet rats and mice don't have much to worry about, according to Dr. Kate Elden, the chief medical officer of the veterinary telehealth company, Dutch, told ABC News.

To be safe, clean cages away from food preparation and spray down bedding to minimize dust particles in the air if necessary, she advised.

Hantavirus remain rare and scattered in the U.S., according to the CDC, with most cases reported in California, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

One rare exception is the Andes virus, a strain found mainly in South America that can spread from person to person through close contact and has been linked to the recent cruise ship cases.

Pets are not known to spread Andes virus to humans.

READ MORE: What pet owners should know about hantavirus

A team of Argentine scientists are planning to head to Ushuaia next week to conduct research to see if hantavirus was already there before the MV Hondius cruise ship departed on April 1, officials said.

The team will collect samples and send them to a lab. The results are expected to come back in about four weeks.

The World Health Organization has posited that the first infection likely happened on land before the ship even sailed. But local officials in Ushuaia say they are not convinced because they've never had a confirmed hantavirus case there.

"Its been 45 days since the ship left and we haven't had any cases," said Juan Petrina, director of epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego province.

There are 41 people under monitoring across the U.S. for potential hantavirus infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's incident manager for hantavirus, Dr. David Fitter, said in a phone call with reporters.

Those 41 people include: 16 people who were repatriated from the cruise ship and are under quarantine at a Nebraska facility; two who were repatriated from the cruise ship and are being monitored at an Atlanta facility; seven people who were former cruise ship passengers who left before the outbreak was declared; and 16 people who were exposed during travel, including on flights, officials said.

No Americans are positive for hantavirus at this time, officials said.

All 16 people in the Nebraska facility are recommended to stay for the entire 42-day period, officials said.

The remaining exposed people who are not at the quarantine facilities are recommended to stay at home, away from others, with an emphasis to avoid travel, officials said. These individuals are in touch with their state and local health departments and the CDC said it is in touch with those departments.

North Dakota's health department said it is monitoring five individuals who were exposed to a sick hantavirus cruise ship member abroad. None of these five people were on the cruise ship, the department said.

There are now 11 state health departments monitoring a total of at least 23 people, none of whom have symptoms.

The other states monitoring people are Texas, California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, Kansas and Minnesota.