MAJOR FALSE – The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has confirmed that a Richland County man has been diagnosed with hantavirus infection. The man contracted the disease while working outside the state where there was exposure to mice. The man was admitted to hospital but is now recovering at home.
This is Montana’s first hantavirus case in 2021 and is the 45th case of the state since it was first identified in the state in 1993. Previously, the most recent case was in 2018.
DPHHS and public health agencies encourage people to be aware of the risk of hantavirus and to take precautions to avoid exposure to rodents, their droppings and their nests.
Hantavirus infections are relatively rare in the US and Montana. Early symptoms of hantavirus include fatigue, fever and muscle aches with progression to cough and extreme shortness of breath. Hantavirus infection can cause serious illness; about 25 percent of Montana’s cases resulted in death. Supportive medical care is essential for survival and, if diagnosed early, it can help victims during the period of severe respiratory distress.
Studies have shown that deer mice are the most common host of the virus and are well distributed in Montana. Humans can become infected with hantavirus if the saliva, urine or feces of an infected deer mouse are stimulated and inhaled. It is important to avoid activities that ignite dust, such as sweeping or vacuuming, if there are signs of rodents in the area.
“Although hantavirus infection can occur during any month, the risk of exposure in spring and summer increases as people clean huts and barns and spend more time on it which can cause exposure to rodents,” said Erika Baldry, epidemiologist at the DPHHS Health and Safety Division.
DPHHS says the best protection against hantavirus is to control rodent populations in places where people live and work by taking the following precautions:
- SEALING: Prevent mouse intrusion into homes and barns by closing holes and gaps in walls.
- STEP UP: Use snap trap to eliminate any mice inside. Individuals can also reduce rodent populations near homes by keeping shrubs close to home close by and moving logs at least 100 feet from the home and lifting them at least one foot off the ground.
- CLEANING: Clean areas where mouse debris occurs.
- Avoid wiping or vacuuming with rodent waste and urine, as the action can agitate dust and aerosolize the manure.
- If you are cleaning an area such as a cabin, camper or outbuilding, open windows and doors and open the space for 30 minutes before cleaning.
- Wear rubber or plastic gloves.
- Spray or soak the area thoroughly with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water to reduce dust. Let soak for 5 minutes.
- Wipe the manure with a sponge or paper towel and then clean the entire area with disinfectant or bleach solution.
- Discard sponges and paper towels used to clean, remove gloves and discard, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
For those who think they have been exposed to hantavirus, it is important to monitor symptoms. Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and shortness of breath after a possible exposure to rodents should visit a medical provider immediately.
‘Make sure your doctor tells you that you’ve been to rodents; it will warn your doctor to look carefully for any disease that carries rodents, such as pulmonary syndrome of hantavirus, “Baldry recommends.
Click here for more information on the CDC website.
From May 2019: