Health officials track fourth King County resident tied to MV Hondius Andes hantavirus

SEATTLE — Public Health – Seattle & King County officials are monitoring a fourth King County resident for possible exposure to the Andes type of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, health officials said Friday.

The Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified local health officials on May 14 about the additional resident, according to Public Health – Seattle & King County.

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The resident did not travel on the cruise ship but was aboard a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam with an ill cruise ship passenger before departure.

Officials said the sick passenger was removed from the aircraft before the flight left Johannesburg and later tested positive for the virus.

The infected passenger began traveling before the outbreak was reported to the World Health Organization.

The King County resident is considered at low risk for infection because they were not seated near the ill passenger, health officials said.

The resident has returned to King County, remains asymptomatic, and is monitoring for symptoms.

Earlier this week, Public Health announced that three King County residents were under monitoring for the Andes type of hantavirus.

Two of those residents had been seated near the infected passenger on the Johannesburg-to-Amsterdam flight. Both have returned home to King County, remain symptom-free, and are monitoring for symptoms in coordination with public health officials.

A third King County resident who was a passenger aboard the MV Hondius is being monitored alongside other American passengers at the national quarantine center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Officials said that the resident remains asymptomatic.

Health officials said there are currently no cases of Andes-type hantavirus in King County, and no residents are showing symptoms. The risk to the public remains low, officials said.

“We were informed yesterday of a fourth individual with a low-risk exposure and were able to reach the resident today,” Dr. Sandra J. Valenciano, health officer and acting director for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement. “All our residents are following public health protocols, and the risk to the King County community remains low.”

Valenciano said monitoring exposed individuals allows health officials to support residents while ensuring early detection and rapid public health response if symptoms develop.

Hantavirus infections are rare but can cause severe illness.

The viruses are primarily spread through contact with wild rodents and exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva.

According to health officials, the Andes virus is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person, typically through close physical contact, prolonged exposure in enclosed spaces, or contact with body fluids from an infected person.