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Washington state monitoring two separate hantavirus situations

Washington state monitoring two separate hantavirus situations

Courtesy of Washington State Dept. of Health Photo: Saga Communications


TUMWATER, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The state is investigating two separate hantavirus developments, though the risk to the public remains very low.

The Washington Department of Health said the investigations involve two different virus strains in two separate events.

The Chelan-Douglas Health District has reported the state’s first case of the Sin Nombre strain of hantavirus this year, which is not related to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak. Sin Nombre is spread through deer mice and can’t be transmitted from person to person.

The second investigation involves the continued monitoring of three King County residents who were potentially exposed to Andes strains of the virus linked to the cruise ship outbreak.

The state now said the CDC has alerted it of three other residents who also may have been exposed, one in King County and two in Eastern Washington.

There still haven’t been any confirmed cases of the Andes strain among state residents.

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