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STATE
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER ISSUES WARNING ABOUT HANTAVIRUS
FOLLOWING FIRST FATAL CASE SINCE 2003 |
July 28, 2006 -
(SACRAMENTO)
- The death of a 52-year-old man earlier this month from
hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a disease
spread by rodents, has prompted State Public Health Officer
Dr. Mark Horton
to remind Californians entering cabins, trailers and other
buildings infested with rodents to take precautions to
prevent exposure to the virus that causes the disease. The
Los Angeles County man was exposed to the virus in a Mono
County trailer park while on vacation prior to his
hospitalization and death in Nevada.
"Hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome is a rare, but often fatal disease spread
by rodents," said Horton. "The chances of getting the virus
are greatest when entering or cleaning enclosed spaces where
wild rodents have been present."
HPS is
caused by a virus that individuals contract through contact
with the urine, droppings or saliva of wild mice, primarily
deer mice. Breathing small particles of mouse urine or
droppings that have been stirred up into the air is the most
common means of infection. The illness begins with fever,
headache and muscle ache and progresses rapidly to severe
difficulty breathing and, in some cases, death. Treatment
for HPS depends upon the severity of an individual's
symptoms. Prompt diagnosis and medical treatment increase
an individual's chances of recovery.
Since HPS
was first identified in 1993, there have been 46 cases in
California and 438 cases nationally. This is the 16th
fatal case in California. About 33 percent of HPS cases
identified in California have been fatal. To prevent HPS,
Horton recommended the following precautions:
·
Avoid
areas, especially indoors, where wild rodents are likely to
have been present.
·
Spray
diluted bleach on areas contaminated with rodent droppings
and urine. Wear plastic gloves and use a wet sponge or mop
to clean the contaminated area. Do not sweep or vacuum.
Place the waste in double plastic bags, each tightly sealed,
and discard in the trash. Wash hands thoroughly afterward.
·
Do not
touch or handle live rodents and wear gloves when handling
dead rodents. Spray dead rodents with diluted bleach and
dispose of in the same way as droppings. Wash hands
thoroughly after handling dead rodents.
·
Keep
rodents out of buildings by removing stacked wood, rubbish
piles and discarded junk from around homes and sealing any
holes where rodents could enter. Keep food in tightly
sealed containers and store away from rodents.
·
If there
are large numbers of rodents present in a home or other
building, contact a pest control service to remove them.
For
additional information about preventing HPS, please log on
to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
Web site at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps_stc/stc_spot.htm
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