US officials have issued a health warning about a rat-borne disease that has no cure, after the deaths of four people from the infection this year, DailyMail reported.
Hantavirus is spread from rodents to humans. It is leading to a rise in a potentially deadly lung syndrome, as per NBC News. The virus has a fatality rate of 36%. Usually causes around 30 cases annually in the US, mainly in the western and southwestern regions. However, some states are now seeing an increase in cases.
Hantavirus outbreak causes three deaths in Arizona and one in California
Arizona has become a hotspot for the infection. Between January 1 and July 1, 2024, there have been seven confirmed human cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). There have been three deaths in Arizona from the virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arizona has one of the highest total numbers of reported hantavirus infections in the U.S.
From 2016 to 2022, Arizona had 11 hantavirus cases, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. There have been four cases in 2016, two in 2017, four in 2020, and one in 2022.
Most hantavirus cases are reported in the Western and Southwestern United States, NBC News reported. Recently, California has had two cases and one death, including one in a county that hasn’t detected the virus for twenty years.
San Diego County is seeing more hantavirus activity among rodents this year, with 17 cases of western harvest mice infected. However, the California Department of Public Health notes that hantavirus activity can vary from year to year. Moreover, it doesn’t seem to be higher than usual across the U.S. this year.
Experts link climate change and extreme heat waves to rising Hantavirus cases
Recent extreme temperatures and heavy rainfall are believed to be causing an increase in infections in some areas. These conditions drive virus-carrying rodents indoors to escape the heat and rain, bringing them into contact with humans.
The heavy rain also boosts plant growth and the food supply for rodents. And it leads to more rodent activity and potentially a surge in their population.
“Hantavirus is a rare but important cause of serious, even fatal respiratory infection,” Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, said.
“It is transmitted by various rodents, especially the deer mouse, and can cause mild disease, but it does cause fatal illness in a significant percentage of people who acquire this illness,” he said.
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