Experts are sounding the alarm over the spread of a rare deadly virus after two Americans tested positive this week.
Hantavirus, the disease that killed Gene’s Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa, is a rare but severe respiratory illness spread through exposure, typically inhalation, to rodent droppings.
But now two cases have been confirmed in Nevada – bringing the US’ total count to 864 cases since 1993.
The rarity of hantavirus in the US is partly because the country has fewer rodent species that the illness can circulate amongst, compared to Asia and Europe, where multiple rodent species act as hosts.
Seventy-nine percent of positive blood samples came from deer mice species, which cause around 90 percent of all hantavirus cases in the US.
Two Americans tested positive for a rare deadly virus this week, prompting experts to raise concerns about its spread.
Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, died from hantavirus, a rare but deadly respiratory disease that is contracted by inhaling rodent droppings.
In 1978, researchers in South Korea isolated the hantavirus from a field mouse, leading to its first identification. The virus kills 30 to 50 percent of those infected. Less than 50 cases are reported each year, making it uncommon in the US.
However, Nevada has now confirmed two cases, increasing the total number of cases in the US since 1993 to 864.
As the weather warms, health professionals are cautioning people to exercise extra caution, particularly in areas like sheds, barns, trailers, garages, and cabins where deer mice may have nested and left droppings.
Fever, lethargy, and muscle aches are among the early signs of hantavirus. Headaches, chills, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may follow.
In addition, hantavirus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which causes patients to feel constricted in the chest as their lungs fill with fluid.
HPS can be fatal; it claims the lives of 38% of those who experience respiratory symptoms.
Experts are warning about the spread of a mouse-borne virus that is rarely seen in the US. This virus killed actor Gene Hackman’s wife, and two more cases have been reported.
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“We encourage people to be aware of any indications of rodent activity and to take precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to hantavirus,” Nevada State Medical Epidemiologist Melissa Bullock told local 2 News Nevada.
“Anyone experiencing symptoms that are consistent with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome after coming into contact with rodents, their nests, or their droppings should consult a healthcare professional right away.”. “…
The two individuals who tested positive have no known details.
State health officials advise wearing gloves and a mask, using disinfectant and wiping up debris, avoiding sweeping mouse droppings, and airing out areas where they may be present to lower the risk of exposure.
Inhaling aerosolized feces, urine, or saliva from infected rodents can expose humans to a class of viruses known as hantaviruses, which are found all over the world.
The US has fewer rodent species among which the disease can spread than Asia and Europe, where several rodent species serve as hosts, which contributes to the rarity of hantavirus in the US.
Although deer mice continue to be the main reservoir for hantaviruses in North America, researchers from Virginia Tech discovered that the virus is now spreading more widely than previously believed. Antibodies to the virus have been found in six other rodent species where they had not previously been reported.
To learn more about how hantavirus spreads in the wild, the Virginia Tech team examined data from the National Ecological Observatory Network, which is run by the National Science Foundation.
The program collected and examined 14,004 blood samples from 49 distinct mouse species at 45 locations throughout the United States between 2014 and 2019 in order to measure the levels of hantavirus antibodies.
About 90% of all hantavirus cases in the United States are caused by deer mice, which accounted for 79% of positive blood samples.
After being diagnosed with Hantavirus at the age of 46, Debbie Zipperian of Montana managed to survive the illness. The former cowgirl described how it completely changed her life in an interview with the Daily Mail.
The percentage of hantavirus infections in other rodent species, however, was between 4 and 3 and 5 percent higher than in deer mice, according to the researchers.
The study’s results show that the virus is more adaptable than previously believed, expanding our understanding of its fundamental biology even though the great majority of human cases are linked to two or three important deer mouse species.
The highest rate of hantavirus infection in rodents was found in Virginia, where almost 8% of samples tested positive, which is four times higher than the national average of about 2%.
Colorado and Texas, two states known to be at risk for the virus, had the second-highest infection rates, with average positive blood samples more than twice as high as the national average.
The team’s findings could help explain human cases in places where the typical rodent host is rare or nonexistent, as well as impact how public health officials track and assess hantavirus risk.
In order to forecast outbreaks and notify public health officials, it is essential that we know where and when hantavirus is most likely to occur, according to Mr. Paansri.
Given that wildlife diseases are found all over the world, we think that many of the lessons learned from this study can be applied to other wildlife diseases. “…
