Fourth King County resident potentially exposed to hantavirus

A fourth King County resident is under monitoring for the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection, according to Public Health — Seattle and King County. The person is currently asymptomatic and is being monitored for symptoms.

“This resident was not on the cruise ship but was on the flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with an ill cruise ship passenger prior to takeoff,” Public Health — Seattle and King County stated. “The ill passenger was removed from the flight before the plane left Johannesburg. The ill person began traveling before the outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization.”

This announcement came after three King County residents were potentially exposed to the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship earlier this week. Two of them were sitting on an airplane near an ill passenger who was removed from the aircraft and later tested positive for the virus, according to a news release from Public Health — Seattle and King County Tuesday.

Both residents returned to King County, are asymptomatic, and are monitoring for symptoms at home in coordination with the health department.

Public Health said it is also aware of a third King County resident who was a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship. The resident is also asymptomatic and is being monitored for symptoms along with other American passengers at the national quarantine center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

King County health officer explains how hantavirus outbreak differs from COVID-19

No one in King County has symptoms of hantavirus, and there are no cases of the virus in King County, health officials reiterated.

“I know the current news about hantavirus may be scary,” Dr. Sandra Valenciano, Health Officer and Acting Director for Public Health — Seattle and King County, stated. “Even though these individuals do not show signs of illness, we have strong contact tracing and monitoring in place. These are measures that have contained the spread in previous outbreaks of hantavirus.”

“The risk of this virus spreading to residents of King County is low at this time,” Valenciano continued. “This is a very different situation from when COVID-19 first emerged – COVID was a novel virus that we knew very little about. In contrast, we have a lot more information about hantavirus and how it spreads.”

Hantavirus infections are rare but can lead to severe illness, according to health officials. They spread primarily from contact with wild rodents, especially when people are exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva.

How hantavirus spreads

The Andes virus is the only known hantavirus that can spread from person to person, but Public Health noted that such transmission is rare. Studies have shown that the spread from person to person requires prolonged, close contact with a person infected with the Andes virus. That includes direct physical contact, prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces, and exposure to an infected person’s saliva, respiratory secretions, or other bodily fluids.

Symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) start one to eight weeks after inhaling the virus, according to the Washington State Department of Health. People usually become sick for three to five days with a fever, sore muscles, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. As the disease gets worse, it causes shortness of breath due to fluid-filled lungs.

People infected typically have to receive hospital care, and about one out of three people diagnosed with HPS have died.

2 people dead from hantavirus outbreak

As of Tuesday, the outbreak has reached 11 total cases, nine of which have been confirmed, according to The Associated Press.

Three people on the cruise ship, where the outbreak stemmed from, have died, the media outlet reported. Two of those people were a Dutch couple, who health officals belive were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

There is no cure for the virus, but the World Health Organization said early detection and treatment improve survival rates.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest; The Associated Press