Table of Contents
What are the first symptoms of hantavirus?
Early symptoms are general and include fever, fatigue, and muscle pain. Other symptoms may include headache, nausea (a feeling of sickness in the stomach), vomiting, diarrhea (loose stool/poop) and dizziness.
Where does hantavirus come from?
Hantavirus is a virus that is found in the urine, saliva, or droppings of infected deer mice and some other wild rodents (cotton rats, rice rats in the southeastern Unites States and the white-footed mouse and the red-backed vole). It causes a rare but serious lung disease called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
How many people died of the hantavirus?
As of January 2017, 728 U.S. cases have been reported and a little more than a third of the patients died from the disease, according to the CDC. In the past 25 years, hantavirus has been reported in 36 states, and New Mexico has had the most cases with 109, about 15\% of all patients.
Is the hantavirus airborne?
The virus is mainly transmitted to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus. When fresh rodent urine, droppings, or nesting materials are stirred up, tiny droplets containing the virus get into the air. This process is known as “airborne transmission“.
Do all mice carry diseases?
It is estimated that 5 percent of house mice throughout the United States carry LCMV and are able to transmit the virus. Other rodents, such as hamsters, are not the natural carriers, but can become infected with LCMV from wild mice. Some human infections have resulted from contact with pet rodents.
Can you get sick from cleaning mouse droppings?
It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they breathe in contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings. You may come in contact with such dust when cleaning homes, sheds, or other enclosed areas that have been empty for a long time. Hantavirus does not seem to spread from human to human.
What are the signs of hantavirus?
Difficulty breathing
Is hantavirus a communicable disease?
Acute Communicable Disease Control. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome(HPS) is a rare but deadly lung disease that mainly spreads by inhaling a virus found in the droppings and nesting material of infected wild rodents. In California, HPS is usually found in deer mice. Deer mice are grey to brown on top and white underneath.
How do you get Hantavirus infection?
inhale virus particles from rodent urine,droppings or saliva that have been released into the air this can happen when rodent waste is stirred up from vacuuming or sweeping
What is hantavirus caused by?
Hantavirus is a life-threatening viral infection spread to humans by rodents. Hantavirus is carried by rodents, particularly deer mice. The virus is found in their urine and feces, but it does not make the animal sick. It is believed that humans can get sick with this virus if they breathe in contaminated dust from mice nests or droppings.