🦠 Should Seattle worry about hantavirus?

🦠 Update on Hantavirus Exposure in King County

On Tuesday, King County Public Health said that three King County residents may have been exposed to hantavirus. One was a passenger on the cruise ship MV Hondius; the other two were sitting near another Hondius passenger on a plane before that passenger was removed and later tested positive. So far, they are monitoring for symptoms and are fine. Today on the podcast, our host and science journalist Jane gets into the latest on hantavirus. [Public Health Insider Blog]

• 🦠 What is hantavirus? Hantavirus is usually harbored by rodents and spread through their droppings or their urine. Generally, it doesn't spread person to person, but this one strain of it called the Andes strain can spread via humans.
• 😟 Should we be worried about another pandemic? Hantavirus is spread by very close personal contact. It does not spread as easily as COVID, and currently international contact tracing is being used to track those exposed, which is reassuring.
• 😷 How can I protect myself? You could be exposed to hantavirus in an area that is rat infested, like a shed. So wear a mask in a situation like that, and keep food neatly packaged. And, of course, wear a mask and wash your hands frequently to avoid illness in general.
• For more, listen to today's podcast:

💲 Let’s Go Washington complaint: A nonprofit group called Washingtonians for Ethical Government filed an official complaint requesting the Washington Public Disclosure Commission investigate conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington. The complaint alleges that LGW did not properly disclose political advertising when they worked with podcaster Brandi Kruse to promote their ballot initiatives on her social media platforms. The committee and Kruse deny the accusations. [Seattle Times]

🌊 Win for Skagit Valley Tribes: Mayor Wilson has signed an agreement that will restore water flow to Skagit Falls to pull salmon and steelhead back from the edge of extinction. It will also allocate $4 billion to maintenance, operation, and investment in habitats to the area. This deal has only gone through after years of activism and organizing among tribal and federal groups. [Seattle Times]

⚽ World Cup bookings below expectations: According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, 80% of respondents to a recently conducted survey are saying that bookings are below expectations for the World Cup, and behind what they expect for a normal summer. Some are even calling it a “non-event.” [Washington State Standard]

🏠 Wilson dissatisfied with KCRHA audit: Last month’s audit of King County Regional Homelessness Authority found that $8 million couldn’t be accounted for, and that they were $4 million over in budgeting. Now, ahead of a corrective plan by KCRHA due May 23, Mayor Katie Wilson is saying that the initial response by KRCHA to a letter sent jointly from her and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay didn’t address her concerns. [PubliCola]