Arizona health officials reported the state's first recorded death from the Sin Nombre strain of hantavirus, a rare but frequently severe illness carried by rodents. The case drew renewed attention to a disease that, while uncommon, can progress rapidly to a life-threatening respiratory syndrome.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is most often contracted when people breathe in particles from the droppings, urine or saliva of infected rodents, particularly deer mice, which are widespread across the American West. The Sin Nombre strain is the form most commonly associated with the syndrome in the United States.
Early symptoms can resemble those of flu, including fever, muscle aches and fatigue, before the illness advances to fluid build-up in the lungs and difficulty breathing. Because the condition can deteriorate quickly and there is no specific cure, early supportive medical care is considered important to survival.
Officials urged residents to take precautions when cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents may have nested, such as cabins, sheds and garages. Recommended steps include ventilating such areas before cleaning, dampening surfaces rather than sweeping or vacuuming dust, and wearing gloves and a mask to avoid stirring up infectious particles.
Cases of hantavirus in the United States number only in the dozens each year, but the fatality rate among those who develop the pulmonary syndrome is high, making prevention the principal line of defence. The disease does not spread from person to person in the strains found in North America.
Health authorities said they were not aware of any wider outbreak and that the risk to the general public remained low. They encouraged anyone who developed severe respiratory symptoms after potential rodent exposure to seek medical attention promptly.