HANTAVIRUS: Bend doctor who helped during deadly outbreak now supported by former cancer patients

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]Right now, there's a huge emotional outpouring of support for Bend Dr. Steven Kornfeld. Right now, he's isolating in Nebraska after testing positive for the Hanta virus. I had 3 days of night sweats, a lot of chills, some mild respiratory, and a lot of fatigue. Now, he's not showing symptom as he quarantines in a biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska for at least 45 days. Now, how did this all happen? It's because three people died and the ship's own doctor that he was on became hospitalized. Kornfeld told KTVC News in an interview last week he felt a duty to step up and provide some support for the patients and also some comfort.

[00:00:40]Right now, he's fighting through the illness and it's brought a huge outpouring of support from his former cancer patients and coworkers. He worked 20 years at the Bend St. Charles Cancer Center. Like I said, Kornfeld's going to have to be there for 45 days until he can come home to Bend to really what's going to be a hero's welcome. Now, Hanta virus is spread through contact with infected mice and rats. However, the Andes strain, which is found in South America, has shown to sometimes pass from human to human. They think that this might be the strain that Kornfeld and others have. Give your well wishes to Dr. Steven Kornfeld in the comments below. He's got a lot of time right now and he's going to be isolated for a lot of weeks.