Public health officials in California confirmed that three people from the Mammoth Lake town have died from the hantavirus.
In a statement released Thursday, Mono County health officials reported a third death from Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in a rural town in the East Sierra region of the state, calling the situation “tragic” and “surprising.”
Hantaviruses are relatively rare viruses that spread from animal urine, feces, and saliva to humans, by rodents, usually mice.
“I’m particularly worried about the three cases in a short period of time,” said Dr. Tom Boo, the county public health officer. said in a statement.
Boo said cases of Hantavirus are usually seen in the spring and later summer.
The latest death was third in the hantavirus on Lake Mammoth since early February, the county health and human services department said. The deceased was a young adult, but Boo said health officials still don’t know how the person was infected.
“There was no evidence of mouse activity at home,” he said. “We observed several mice at work, which is not uncommon in indoor spaces at this time of year on Lake Mammoth. We have not identified any other activities in the weeks before the illness that increase exposure to mice or feces in this person.”
Deer mice are spreading in California’s East Sierra region, but Boo said this year that their numbers are considered higher than usual, potentially increasing the risk of exposure to the hantavirus.
The latest death comes weeks after investigators revealed that Jean Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, has died of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Arakawa and Hackman were found dead on February 26th at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman tested negative for the Hantavirus and determined that the actor’s death was “atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a significant contributor with hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Hantavirus cases are relatively rare, but can be devastating. Symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle pain, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Severe cases can progress to the lungs and can be fatal.
Boo said so far there was no indication that the three deceased were engaged in activities that are normally linked to hantavirus exposure, such as cleaning up mice feces and areas with poor indoor ventilation.
He said people should be wary of the presence of mice, beware, and beware of the animal’s feces, and be particularly careful around animal feces.
“We’ve now been around a month without any additional suspected cases, but we’re continuing to worry about the increase in activity,” Boo said.
