90-Second Read: 4th King County, WA resident being monitored for Andes Hantavirus

A fourth King County resident is being monitored for the Andes Hantavirus after it was discovered they were aboard a flight with someone linked to the cruise ship where the outbreak originated. Health officials announced earlier this week they were monitoring three other residents, including two people who sat near a sick cruise ship passenger on a flight, and another who was on board the MV Hondius cruise ship. A Chelan County resident recently tested positive for the more common "Sin Nombre" Hantavirus strain, as the state typically sees a few cases each year. Public Health, Seattle and King County announced Friday that an individual from King County was on a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam alongside an infected passenger from the MV Hondius cruise ship.

The Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with wild rodents, specifically their urine, dropping and saliva. However, the Hantavirus strain that spread on the infamous cruise ship was found to be transmissible from human-to-human through prolonged, close contact. The strain of it that the CDC now says is linked to three King County, Washington residents is the Andes virus.

TENERIFE, SPAIN, MAY 11: Port vessels accompany the MV Hondius as it departs the Granadilla Port after all passengers were evacuated on May 11, 2026 in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain. But health officials say the current situation is highly manageable and significantly differs from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Source: Information in this story came from Public Health, Seattle and King County and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.