New Jersey health officials are monitoring two state residents for possible exposure to hantavirus after contact with an infected traveler linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius, though authorities emphasized Thursday that the risk to the public remains low.

The New Jersey Department of Health said it was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the two residents may have been exposed during international air travel to a person later identified as infected with hantavirus.

The New Jersey residents were not passengers aboard the MV Hondius, according to the department, and neither individual has shown symptoms consistent with hantavirus infection.

State health officials said they are working with local agencies to monitor the travelers “out of an abundance of caution.” The department declined to release additional identifying information, citing patient privacy concerns.

Officials said no hantavirus cases have been identified in New Jersey, and the state has never recorded a confirmed case of the disease.

Hantaviruses found in the United States are typically spread by rodents and are not known to transmit from person to person. However, the strain connected to the MV Hondius outbreak — known as Andes virus — is found in South America and is the only hantavirus known to spread between humans, though such transmission is considered rare.

According to health officials, person-to-person spread generally requires prolonged close contact with an infected person or exposure to bodily fluids. The incubation period for the virus ranges from four to 42 days, and people without symptoms are not considered contagious.

Public health agencies in several other states are also monitoring returning travelers connected to the incident, officials said.

The New Jersey Department of Health said it will continue coordinating with federal, local and international health partners as more information becomes available.