All articles tagged with #rodents
An Arapahoe County man tested positive for Sin Nombre hantavirus, likely from local rodent exposure, and is recovering at home. The case is not tied to the MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak; Sin Nombre is not spread person-to-person. Colorado hantavirus infections are rare but occur, usually in spring/summer, and prevention focuses on avoiding rodent contact and following proper cleaning precautions.
An Arapahoe County resident has tested positive for hantavirus after rodent exposure; this is Colorado's second hantavirus case this year and is not linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship. Deer mice are the virus source, with no person-to-person transmission. Officials emphasize avoiding rodent exposure and waste; CDPHE notes 132 Sin Nombre cases since 1993 with 47 fatalities.
A systematic review of 27 rodent studies finds that switching from unhealthy high-fat, high-sugar diets to healthier foods can improve hippocampus-dependent memory, but recovery is incomplete and sugar may limit full restoration compared with never-exposed controls.
WSU researchers found that nearly 30% of Palouse-region rodents (deer mice, voles, and chipmunks) carried Sin Nombre hantavirus at some point, with about 10% actively infected, suggesting higher rodent-to-human exposure risk in the Pacific Northwest; SNV is the US hantavirus most linked to disease, transmitted mainly via contaminated rodent excretions, not person-to-person. The work, based on 2023 fieldwork in WA and Idaho and published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, notes occasional cross-species transmission among rodents and that human infections may be underrecognized.
Wetter-than-usual years driven by El Niño have boosted populations of hantavirus-carrying rodents in Argentina, helping drive the MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak. The Andes virus, carried by species such as the Patagonian long-tailed pygmy rice rat and related rodents, can spread from animals to humans and, in the Andes virus, between humans. Virus transmission occurs as infected rodents shed the virus in urine, feces, and saliva, with higher vegetation growth from rain increasing rodent food, reproduction, and contact with people. Climate variability and land-use changes are expanding hantavirus risk beyond Patagonia, making prevention and epidemiological surveillance crucial since there is no vaccine for American hantaviruses.
Argentine investigators in Ushuaia are trapping and testing local rats to determine whether hantavirus is present in the area, as part of tracing the source of the MV Hondius cruise outbreak; dead rats are collected for a field lab and samples will be sent to Buenos Aires for testing, a process that could take about a month. Officials say the probe aims to rule out Ushuaia as the source while noting that the Andes virus is found in southern Chile and Argentina and that climate-driven rodent range shifts are complicating the outbreak picture.
An adult in Colorado died from a confirmed hantavirus infection not linked to the Atlantic cruise-ship outbreak; officials say the rodent-borne virus is common this time of year, with transmission primarily via rodents and a typical six-week incubation, as authorities investigate exposure sources while other cruise-ship cases continue to be monitored.
A Douglas County hantavirus death is not linked to the MV Hondius cruise-ship outbreak; officials say rodent exposure is the likely source and the public risk remains low. Colorado experiences Sin Nombre hantavirus cases periodically (132 since 1993, 47 deaths; last fatality in 2024). The Hondius outbreak infected 11 people with 3 deaths, and French sequencing showed the strain is not more transmissible or dangerous.
Ontario County Public Health is investigating a possible locally acquired hantavirus case. There’s no link to cruise ship infections and no danger to the general public. Hantavirus spreads via rodent droppings, urine, and saliva, so cleaning spaces like attics, cabins, and sheds requires masks, gloves, and thorough hygiene; infections are rare since reporting began in 1995, and officials emphasize protective measures to reduce exposure.
Public health officials warn Canadians doing spring cleaning to guard against hantavirus carried by rats and mice. Prevent exposure by rodent-proofing sheds and cabins, avoiding sweeping or vacuuming dried droppings, wearing PPE (gloves and a HEPA mask), spraying droppings with disinfectant, letting the area air out, and thoroughly cleaning and washing hands and tools afterward.
WHO investigators say the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius most likely originated in the Andes Cordillera region of northern Argentina and Chile, tied to the long-tailed rice rat; a Ushuaia landfill theory has been ruled unlikely, and the immediate priority is containment while further clues about the origin are sought.
Health officials warn hantavirus can hide in common spaces such as garages, sheds, cabins, basements, attics, barns, crawl spaces, and even unused cars, where rodent droppings or nests may be present; inhaling contaminated dust or touching contaminated surfaces can cause infection, though human-to-human transmission is extremely rare and most U.S. cases occur in the West. To reduce risk, dampen and disinfect droppings before cleaning (CDC advises against vacuuming), wear gloves and a mask, dispose of waste properly, and wash hands thoroughly after handling potentially infested areas. The current cruise-ship outbreak involving the Andes strain is notable for human-to-human transmission, but overall hantavirus remains a rare threat in the U.S.
Health officials are investigating a suspected hantavirus case in Illinois, likely contracted by a Winnebago County resident from rodent droppings, with no link to the cruise-ship outbreak. The CDC is conducting confirmatory testing that could take up to 10 days, but state officials say the overall risk to residents remains very low and hantaviruses are not spread person-to-person.
Argentina is seeing a near doubling of hantavirus cases this season, with 101 confirmed infections and 32 deaths, as climate-driven habitat disruption and droughts push rodent populations into new areas. Most cases have been in the central region around Buenos Aires, and health officials are investigating links to an Andes-strain outbreak tied to a cruise ship. Experts say increasing human-wildlife contact and environmental degradation are expanding the virus’s reach, though human-to-human transmission remains limited; authorities will continue rodent surveillance and outbreak tracing.
Hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness that can cause severe respiratory disease. It spreads when people inhale virus particles from infected rodents’ urine, droppings, or saliva or come into contact with contaminated materials. Early signs often include fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and headaches, with some cases progressing to coughing or shortness of breath as the lungs are affected. There is no specific cure; treatment focuses on supportive care, and prevention centers on reducing rodent access and avoiding disturbance of droppings in places like homes, sheds, and cabins.