Hantavirus carried by dozens of small mammal species
By Hamilton Kahn
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KOAT) — For many people, the first they heard of hantavirus came with news of what caused the death of Betsy Arakawa, actor Gene Hackman’s wife.
For those who have lived in New Mexico for the past 30 years, there is a better chance that they’ve heard of this disease that can be caught from the aerosolized droppings of deer mice, which is fairly rare but can go from flu-like symptoms to total lung and cardiac failure in short order.
The first detection of hantavirus in North America happened in the Four Corner region in 1993, and just a few New Mexicans contract it each year.
There is still much to learn about hantavirus, and a research team at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine led by professor Steven Bradfute, has discovered that the virus is carried by far more than 30 mammal species than previously known — among them ground squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, rats and even house mice.
“There’s a lot of deer mice, and they carry the virus, but there’s a lot of other rodents that also carry the virus and they can shed the live virus,” Bradfute said.
As is often the case with research, this has also raised many questions about hantavirus, such as why cases of it are more likely to happen in some parts of the state than others.
In the meantime, people need to be careful to protect themselves with N95 or KN-95 masks and gloves if they find rodent droppings indoors. They should also spray the droppings with a 10% bleach solution and make sure the area is very well-ventilated, Bradfute said.
Hantavirus can’t be spread from person to person, and it doesn’t survive very long outdoors or exposed to sunlight.
“What I try to tell people is it’s good to be careful, but don’t worry too much about things,” Bradfute said. “Take precautions when you can, but fortunately, the transmission as of now is pretty rare.”
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