The Mono County Health Department wants to remind residents that as people are spring cleaning, residents in the Eastern Sierra should watch out for hantavirus.
Officials said people may catch hantavirus by inhaling the virus found in the urine, feces, saliva and nesting materials of infected deer mice. Most people who become ill with it are exposed while cleaning enclosed spaces that have been closed up for some time with mice living there.
Hantavirus begins with a fever and flu-like symptoms, such as headache and body aches, typically one to five weeks after inhaling the virus. Officials said gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are common in the early part of the illness. They said it's followed with respiratory symptoms like coughing and feeling short of breath after a few days. Officials say this can signal respiratory and heart failure, which can quickly become critical.
They said while there is no specific treatment for hantavirus, high-level intensive care has allowed may people with life-threatening illness to survive. Officials said approximately 25 to 33 percent of people with hantavirus die from it.
Mono County health officials want to note key similarities and differences between hantavirus and COVID-19.
- COVID-19 is spread person to person, while hantavirus is spread from deer mouse waste. Hantavirus cannot be spread from person to person.
- Both infections present with flu-like symptoms like fever, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath and muscle pains. This is why it's critical for residents to be aware of any exposure to rodents, their waste and their nesting materials.
Anyone with concerns should call your primary health care provider or the Mono County Nurse Hotline at 211. A timely diagnosis is crucial as these diseases can progress rapidly.
For more tips on decreasing risk of exposure, read the document below:
