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A week before actor Jean Hackman died of heart disease at his New Mexico home last month, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-related lung disease, New Mexico officials announced Friday.
Hantavirus, an infectious disease, can contract when in contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It does not spread among people, but the disease has been discovered all over the world.
If mice collected from the Santee-San Diego border area more than four years ago tested positive for the hantavirus and staff find rodents in their homes, garages, sheds or cabins, do not clean or clean them after them.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome usually starts with flu-like symptoms and then progresses rapidly into more serious diseases, leading to life-threatening heart and lung problems. Although there are no specific treatments or treatments, early medical procedures can increase your chances of survival.
If not treated, infection can progress rapidly and can be life-threatening.
“It really starts like the flu: body pain, overall it feels bad,” says Dr. Sonjabartlom of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “In the early stages of the disease, we may not be able to actually convey the difference between the hantavirus and the flu.”
The virus can cause severe, sometimes fatal pulmonary infections, called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency began tracking the virus after an outbreak in 1993 in the four Corners regions where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
According to Mayo Clinic, Hantavirus symptoms usually begin 1-8 weeks after the time of infection, and in the first stage, including flu-like symptoms, such as:
Fever and cold muscle pain nausea stomach pain vomiting diarrhea
“If you’re sick and then proceed to a type of symptoms that prevents you from doing normally during the day, you’ll need to seek medical attention,” Bartlom said.
The best way to avoid bacteria is to minimize contact between rodents and their feces. Use protective gloves and bleach solutions to clean rodent poop. Public health experts should be careful of cleaning or vacuuming that can allow the virus to enter the air.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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