KING COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Three King County residents are being monitored in the wake of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship.
Public Health of Seattle and King County said that two of the people were recently seated next to an infected passenger on a plane.
That passenger was removed from the flight before takeoff, and the two King County residents are not experiencing any symptoms as they quarantine at home.
The third person had been travelling on the cruise liner MV Hondius, where hantavirus killed three passengers and sickened at least 11 others.
That person is also not experiencing any symptoms and was transported to the national quarantine center in Omaha, NE as a precaution.
Hantavirus generally does not spread from person to person, but the Andes variant can be transmitted through prolonged contact with an infected individual.
