When actor Gene Hackman and his wife died earlier this year, autopsies revealed that he died of heart failure, a week after his wife died of hantavirus. Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal type of virus spread through rodents, and a new study finds Virginia to be among the states where cases have increased.
The risk of catching hantavirus is very low, so low that in 2019 the National Science Foundation stopped tracking it. However, residents in Virginia, Texas and Colorado are the most at risk of catching it, said Paanwaris Paansri, a Ph.D. wildlife student at Virginia Tech.
“It’s not a common infection,” Paansri said. “But if it does happen, it can be severe.”
Hantavirus can cause serious lung infections and kidney failure, and early symptoms can resemble the flu. Paansri was part of a team, led by researcher Astorga Francisca in Chile, that analyzed rodent antibodies from samples that were collected between 2013-2019. They found hantavirus increased during those years, particularly in Virginia.
Deer mice, which are very small, with big eyes, are the most common type of rodent to carry hantavirus. But researchers with the study identified 15 rodent species as carriers, including six species that hadn’t previously been identified as hosts.
Paansri advises residents in Virginia to be cautious, especially when cleaning closets where rodents may live.
“If they want to clean their house, they have to wear mask, gloves,” Paansri said.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention suggests that if you suspect you may have hantavirus, see a physician immediately and mention any potential rodent exposure.
