Michigan confirms first case of hantavirus transmitted from rodents

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Michigan (WJRT) – A woman who cleaned a rodent-infested home is Michigan’s first confirmed case of hantavirus.

Serious lung disease has occurred in the United States, mainly in the Southwest, since 1993. The Washtenaw County woman is the first confirmed case in Michigan, according to the Department of Health.

Hantaviruses are mainly transmitted in spring and summer by rodents such as mice through urine, feces or saliva. Rodent material containing hantavirus dries out, and when the virus is disturbed, the virus is spread into the air, allowing humans to breathe it in or allow it to penetrate the skin.

The resulting respiratory disease is fatal to about 40% of the people who develop it, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Chief Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health. There are no confirmed cases in the United States of hantaviruses being transmitted from person to person.

Symptoms of hantavirus lung syndrome include fever, chills, body aches and pains, headache, nausea, and diarrhea.

Health officials say anyone cleaning areas with signs of rodent infestation should wear gloves, ventilate the area for 30 minutes before work, and wet areas with disinfectant first.

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