The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is working with local and federal partners on two separate hantavirus-related investigations. One investigation involves individuals who may have been exposed to cases linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, while the other involves a hantavirus infection unrelated to the outbreak. The cases involve different virus strains and exposure circumstances and are not connected.
Hantaviruses are a group of viruses carried by different rodent species. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare but serious disease caused by exposure to infected rodents or their droppings, urine, or saliva. About one out of three people diagnosed with HPS have died. The risk of contracting any strain of hantavirus remains very low.
Investigation 1: Andes virus exposure monitoring in Washington…