90-Second Read: What’s the risk of Hantavirus in King County?

King County health experts say Hantavirus cases are rare locally, but deer mice can carry the virus in homes, sheds, cabins, and garages. Dear Mice (Image courtesy Yale School of Public Health) News What's the risk of Hantavirus in King County? What parents need to know By Public Health Insider / Public Health, Seattle and King County The outbreak of Hantavirus on an international cruise ship has put this rare disease in the headlines. WHO is leading the investigation of that situation involving a specific type of Hantavirus that has not been found in the United States.

Andes Hantavirus is the type that was found in the cruise ship outbreak. WHO is leading a massive contact tracing effort, which has been a key intervention in containing spread in previous outbreaks of this Hantavirus. In Washington state, Hantavirus is carried only by deer mice. Jocelyn Mullins, a public health veterinarian and resident expert at Public Health, Seattle & King County on diseases coming from animals.

Hantavirus is a rare but potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs. There are many types of Hantavirus around the world, but the Andes Hantavirus is the only one known to spread person-to-person, and only if there is prolonged close contact with someone who is ill. It's rare, but we do have deer mice that can carry a different type of Hantavirus (Sin Nombre) that does not spread person-to-person. Hantavirus spreads when dust that contains the virus is stirred up into the air, such as when people sweep or vacuum in rodent-infested areas.

It's possible to get infected with Hantavirus by breathing in dust containing the virus from rodent droppings, urine, saliva, or nesting materials. The chance of being exposed to Hantavirus is greatest when people are in closed spaces where rodents are actively living. When COVID-19 emerged, it was a novel virus, one that hadn't been seen before, so there was so much unknown about it.