California: 2nd hantavirus case reported in Mono County
In a follow-up on the hantavirus situation in Mono County, in the east central California, health officials report a second hantavirus case/death in a month.
The second death was reported in the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
Officials say a third case is under investigation.
Prior to these cases, the last case reported in Mono County was in 2019.
Hantaviruses can infect and cause serious disease in people worldwide. People get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. It can also spread through a bite or scratch by a rodent, but this is rare.
Hantaviruses cause two syndromes. Hantaviruses found in the Western Hemisphere, including here in the U.S., can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The most common hantavirus that causes HPS in the U.S. is spread by the deer mouse.
HPS is a severe and potentially deadly disease that affects the lungs. Symptoms of HPS usually start to show 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent.
Early symptoms can include: fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders.
About half of all HPS patients also experience: headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath. Patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid.
HPS can be deadly. Thirty-eight percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.