July1, 2005
First Hantavirus Case of Year Confirmed
A teenager from Beaverhead County is the first person this year to have a confirmed case of hantavirus, a state health official announced Friday.The young man was hospitalized for a couple of days but has fully recovered, according to Jim Murphy, communicable disease surveillance officer with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The department was unable to release the youth's name because of state and federal health privacy laws.
The state Public Health Laboratory confirmed the hantavirus diagnosis this week.
This was the 25 th case of the deadly disease reported in the state since it was first identified in 1993, Murphy said. Six Montanans have died of hantavirus, which is contracted by inhaling airborne particles from dried droppings, urine, or saliva of infected deer mice. It is not contagious from person to person.
"This young man was very lucky to have a relatively mild form of the disease compared to many of our previous cases ," Murphy said. " The local health department conducted a prompt review of the case and determined that he most likely contracted the disease doing ranch work. He lives and works in a rural setting with numerous outbuildings--many with small-rodent populations. "
Murphy said the youth is the youngest hantavirus victim in Montana so far and the fourth in Beaverhead County.
Hantavirus is characterized by fever, muscle and body aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Eventually, the victim's lungs begin to fill with fluid, making breathing difficult and causing shortness of breath.
There is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for hantavirus, but if infections are recognized early and patients receive medical care in an intensive care unit, they are more likely to do well. In intensive care, patients are given oxygen therapy to help them through the period of severe respiratory distress.
Most cases of hantavirus have been associated with:
- Prolonged exposure to rodent-infested vacant cabins or other dwellings.
- Cleaning barns or other outbuildings.
- Disturbing rodent-infested areas while hiking or camping.
- Planting or harvesting fields.
- Living in or visiting areas where there has been an increase in rodents.
Murphy said people can help prevent hantavirus by keeping mice out of their homes and workplaces .
"You should seal all openings in your foundation, even those as small as the diameter of a pencil," he said. "Keep food, pet food, and garbage in rodent-proof containers, and keep firewood at least 100 feet from your home and raised up off the ground."
He recommended that people take the following precautions when cleaning up rodent droppings or urine:
- Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings or nests. This will disperse virus particles into the air, where they can be breathed into the lungs.
- Wear rubber or plastic gloves.
- Spray droppings and urine with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water. Make sure to wet them thoroughly and wait 5 minutes for them to soak.
- Use a paper towel to wipe up the droppings or urine and seal it in a plastic bag before disposing of it.
- Mop or sponge the area with a disinfectant or bleach solution.
- Wash gloved hands with soap and water or spray a disinfectant or bleach solution on gloves before removing them. Drop the gloves into a plastic bag, seal it, and discard.
- Wash hands with soap and water after removing the gloves.
People working in enclosed places that may hold rodent droppings, such as crawl spaces, should wear an air-purifying respirator mask with an N-100 filter.
For more information, contact your local health department or visit the Web site of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Page last updated: 06/15/2006
