Health Monitoring After Hantavirus Exposure
SEATTLE — Three residents of King County are currently under observation by public health officials due to possible exposure to the Andes type of hantavirus. This strain is reportedly linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship, where an outbreak has tragically claimed at least three lives.
That said, officials have reassured the public that the risk remains low and there are no active cases in King County at this time.
Public Health – Seattle & King County reported that they were alerted by the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the potential exposure of three individuals.
Two of these residents were sitting near a passenger on the airplane who had recently been aboard the cruise ship. This individual was taken off the plane before takeoff and later confirmed to have the Andes type of hantavirus. The two residents have since returned home, are not exhibiting any symptoms, and are being monitored in collaboration with Public Health.
Additionally, a third King County resident who was on the MV Hondius is also being observed. This individual does not have any symptoms and is currently being monitored alongside other passengers at the national quarantine center located at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, the health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County, emphasized, “Even though these individuals do not show signs of illness, we have strong contact tracing and monitoring in place. These measures have successfully contained the spread during past hantavirus outbreaks.”
While hantavirus infections are uncommon, they can result in significant illness. Public health officials noted that the virus is primarily transmitted through contact with wild rodents, particularly via their urine, droppings, and saliva.
Among hantaviruses, the Andes virus is unique in that it can transmit between people, although such instances are rare. Transmission typically occurs only after prolonged, close contact with someone infected.
Symptoms of hantavirus usually manifest between one to eight weeks after coming into contact with rodent waste. Initial signs resemble flu symptoms—fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. Severe symptoms, like coughing and shortness of breath as fluid accumulates in the lungs, develop four to ten days later.
The World Health Organization has reported a total of 11 cases linked to this outbreak globally, with nine of those confirmed, including the three fatalities from the cruise ship.
In response to the anxiety surrounding hantavirus news, Valenciano remarked, “The risk of this virus spreading to residents of King County is low at this time. Unlike the onset of COVID-19, we have a much clearer understanding of hantavirus and its transmission.”
Although the current outbreak associated with the MV Hondius has drawn parallels to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts assert that the two viruses behave quite differently.
Alex Greninger, who heads the Division of Infectious Disease Diagnostics at the University of Washington, noted, “People are drawing comparisons to COVID, but hantaviruses do not act like COVID or other coronaviruses.”
He pointed out that Washington already has its own strain of hantavirus, the Sin Nombre virus, which is typically contracted from rodent droppings or urine found in rural areas, cabins, or sheds.
“People can easily come into contact with it, mainly through inhaling particles or direct exposure to the urine,” Greninger added.
The Andes virus, which is part of the outbreak linked to the cruise ship, shows a limited capacity for human-to-human transmission under close conditions, unlike the strain prevalent in the western U.S.
County officials also mentioned that deer mice in rural and suburban areas can carry hantavirus. Although Greninger reinforced that this virus has not demonstrated the rapid transmission seen during the pandemic, caution remains prudent.
