Apr 23 2005
The Arizona Department of Health Services is urging the public to take appropriate precautions when living or working in rodent infested areas, following the confirmation of the state’s first case of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in 2005.
Health officials are currently investigating the case, in which an individual likely became infected through exposure to mouse droppings in a rural area. While most common in rural areas, HPS can occur anywhere in Arizona. A second reported case also was investigated, but has since been ruled out.
HPS is an often deadly disease that usually begins with flu-like symptoms, and may rapidly progress to respiratory failure when the lungs fill with fluid. Patients usually develop breathing difficulty approximately two to six days after onset of symptoms
“The abundant rainfall this winter may have increased the hantavirus risk in rural Arizona as wild mouse population appears to have increased ” said State Epidemiologist David Engelthaler. “Similar conditions were seen in the winter of 1993 when we had an outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the Four Corners Region of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.” Fifty-three cases of HPS were identified during that outbreak.
“The best defense against infection with hantavirus is to avoid cleaning or disturbing areas with recent rodent infestation including nests and droppings," said Engelthaler. “If you do have to clean up droppings or nests, be sure to thoroughly disinfect the area first. Be especially cautious when entering a structure, such as a summer cabin, that has been closed up. People who have been exposed to rodent droppings and who become ill with HPS-like symptoms should seek medical care."
To date, 40 cases of HPS have been reported in Arizona since 1992 (including the new case). Nine cases were fatal. Two cases were reported in Arizona last year.
Hantavirus can occur wherever the deer mouse and its close relatives live, which includes most rural areas throughout the state.