Several people in the US have died from a disease spread by rodents that has no cure, prompting a health warning.
Hantavirus, which rodents pass to humans through viral droplets in their urine, saliva, or feces, is increasing in cases, says the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Arizona has confirmed seven cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, with three resulting in death. California has also reported two cases, one of which was fatal. This illness causes severe respiratory problems and can be deadly.
Symptoms include fever, headache, and muscle aches, which quickly lead to difficulty breathing. Hantavirus is mainly found in deer mice in Arizona but can be in other parts of the southwestern US where rodents are active.
The disease doesn’t spread from person to person. The last case in Coconino County before the recent outbreak was in 2016. Hantavirus was first detected in 1993 among a Navajo tribe on the Arizona-New Mexico border, where about 80% of the population died.
To avoid infection, health officials urge people to take precautions when cleaning up areas with rodents, using safe methods to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus.
