Vol. 3,  No. 18          July 15, 2006

Nevada's Online State News Journal

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Hantavirus Rears Its Ugly Head: One Person Is Dead In Elko County

The Sickness Is Often Fatal, According To State Health Officials

Mice in Elko County are testing positive for the Hantavirus disease and one person has died following a short illness.  Deer mice are responsible for carrying the disease and official say it would be rare for the disease to travel from human to human.  Deer mice are prevalent throughout Nevada and officials say there are precautions that can prevent the spread of often-fatal virus.

Cleaning sheds, barns, and outbuildings spreads dust from the mouse droppings and dried urine, which spreads the disease.  Wetting the area before cleaning is the best protection from Hantavirus.  Keeping what might be considered food by the mice out of reach is also a good protection as is cleaning areas more often, keeping the mice from invading the areas.

Health officials say the death rate from Hantavirus is a whopping 35 percent, but simple procedures will keep one from contracting the disease.  Hantavirus is believed to have mutated from the deadly Han virus of the Korean peninsula.  The first cases were reported in this country in 1993 and since that time 18 cases have been reported in Nevada.  Nationally there have been well over 400 cases of the virus.

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