Rodents Can Carry Rare But Deadly Virus

By Rita Hess

After being indoors all winter, many people are anxious to do a little spring-cleaning. If that means tackling a storage shed, garage, basement, or cabin, you should know about a rare but deadly virus you may encounter.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a life-threatening disease that certain mice and rats release in their urine, droppings, and saliva. It can be found anywhere in the United States, but you don't have to encounter the actual rodent to become ill. Many people get the disease by disturbing droppings or nesting material, then breathing in the fine particles floating in the air.

HPS usually begins with fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. Within a week, the lungs begin to fill with fluid and cause a cough and shortness of breath. Only several hundred cases have been found in the United States, but over 40% of those patients died. Experts fear more Americans will fall victim to the disease as they venture further into the outdoors to hunt, camp, or ride all-terrain vehicles.

The only known method of preventing HPS is to avoid contact with mice and rats, as well as with their urine, feces, or nest material. If rodents are a problem in your area, seal all holes where they can enter buildings and pick up any trash, pet food, or water that might attract them.

Before cleaning a structure that may have been home to rodents, ventilate the area well. Wearing gloves and a dust mask, spray droppings or nests with disinfectant and then pick it up with a wet paper towel. Keeping the material moist prevents it from becoming dusty and airborne, decreasing the chance you will breath in contaminated particles.

For more information, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 1-800-311-3435.

March, 2002