(Sources: Centers for Disease Control, KSL.Com Archives)
Hantaviruses are carried by a variety of rodents throughout the world. According to the CDC, "Almost all cases have evidence of close contact with rodents." The most common carriers in the U.S. are deer mice (western U.S.) and cotton rats (eastern U.S.).
The earliest reported case of hantavirus occured in 1959. A man from Green River, Utah, was treated for severe flu-like symptoms and recovered. His illness remained a mystery for three decades. The C.D.C. recently tested his blood and confirmed he had had a strong case of hantavirus.
Before that, the earliest known case of the disease surfaced in 1975. It was only known to affect people in the eastern hemisphere until 1993.
That's when an outbreak of a group of previously unknown hantaviruses occured in the four corners region of the United States.
The illness, called Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), causes acute respiratory disease in its victims.
Symptoms of HPS include:
- fever
- severe muscle aches
- headache
- cough that rapidly progresses to lung disease
The first symptoms usually show up 1-5 weeks after the disease was contracted.
Hantavirus remains relatively rare in the U.S.
For more information:
CDC: Hantavirus
