Two people in New Mexico have died of hantavirus this year

At least two people in New Mexico have died from a rare but dangerous form of hantavirus infection so far in 2023, local health officials reported this week. Four other residents have been hospitalized, although they ultimately survived. These viruses are primarily contracted through exposure to rodents, including their urine, and are not normally contagious from person to person.

There are dozens of known hantavirus species, broadly divided into those found in the Western or Eastern Hemispheres (“New World” and “Old World” hantaviruses). Most of these are native to rodents and are not thought to make them sick. But some hantaviruses it can cross over and infect humans, potentially causing life-threatening diseases.

New World hantaviruses can cause a severe respiratory condition known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS (Old World hantaviruses are more likely to cause a condition called hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, with symptoms similar to Ebola infection). There are no specific treatments for HPS and its mortality rate in the US is around 35%.

On Wednesday, the New Mexico Department of Health reported that six residents have been diagnosed with HPS to date in 2023. Two have died, while four ended up in the hospital requiring oxygen or intensive care to survive their ordeal. The current count is above the historical average seen in the state, and New Mexico typically reports three to four cases a year.

Hantaviruses can sometimes be transmitted through rodent bites. But more often, it is caught by breathing in fresh particles of feces and urine that have been thrown up into the air or by directly touching your feces/urine. Only one species of hantavirus, Andes virus, has been shown to spread from person to person, but this virus is most commonly found in South America. The main carrier of hantavirus in New Mexico is the deer mouse, and the most common germ behind human cases in the US is Sin Nombre virus.

The first known cases of HPS in the US were discovered in the early 1990s. And while rodents carrying potentially dangerous hantaviruses have been found across the country, serious infections remain very rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 850 cases of hantavirus illness have been reported in the US. documented between 1993 and 2021, including some non-HPS cases.

Still, these infections are more common in southwestern states like New Mexico, which was one of four states where the first known HPS outbreaks occurred. And people in these areas can take precautions to avoid the risk of contracting hantavirus, health officials say.

“Everyone in New Mexico should learn about hantavirus infections and take steps to minimize potential exposures,” said Chad Smelser, associate state epidemiologist, in a statement issued by the New Mexico Department of Health. “The key to preventing infections is to avoid exposure to rodents and their nests.”

These steps include sealing homes to prevent rodent infestations, getting rid of nearby trash or junk piles that may attract rodents to camp, airing out buildings or vehicles that haven’t been visited in a while, and soaking nests and droppings. discovered rodents. with disinfectant before attempting to clean them.