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CARSON CITY, Nevada (AP) – Carson City health officials advise residents to be very careful of areas where rats and mice may have lived after finding out that a person has been infected with hantavirus.
Carson City Health and Human Services said on Tuesday the case was the first ever reported in Douglas County. The person apparently developed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome after the spring cleaning. The disease is a serious and sometimes fatal respiratory infection.
The health agency did not provide any further information about the person or their condition, citing privacy laws.
Hantavirus is a rare disease and only 14 cases have been reported in areas of Nevada outside of Clark County since 2005. It can be transmitted to humans by certain species of mice and rats that excrete the virus in their urine, their feces and saliva.
People are often exposed to the virus when they come in contact with nesting material or stir up dust and breathe it in while cleaning. The infection is often associated with reopening and cleaning cottages and vacation homes after they have closed for the winter.
The health agency says the precautions include using extra precautions when cleaning by opening windows, avoiding vacuuming or sweeping dusty areas, and wearing gloves and an N95 mask when cleaning areas where rodent activity is evident.
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