Hantavirus
From WikiCover
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome causes a person's lungs to fill with fluid, making it difficult to breathe. It is caused by a virus carried by the deer mouse and other types of wild rodents found, primarily, in rural areas. People are infected by inhaling airborne particles of the virus and by direct contact with rodents' urine, droppings or nests. There are no documented cases of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the United States.
Initial symptoms include high fever, severe body aches, headache and vomiting beginning one to six weeks after exposure. Serious respiratory symptoms will usually develop one to five days after the initial symptoms appear. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact a physician and discuss any possible exposure to rodent-infested environments. Although there is no specific treatment, early diagnosis is important for recovery.
The best way to prevent Hantavirus infection is to avoid contact with rodents, their urine and droppings. Individuals living in or visiting rural areas should be extra cautious, especially in and around cabins, sheds, barns and woodpiles where mice nest.
Hantavirus infections in the U.S. were first reported in the "Four Corners" region in 1993 and most cases still occur in western states. Human infection is very rare in the eastern U.S. In the past decade, only three previous cases were diagnosed in Pennsylvania residents: in 1997 in Lehigh County after likely exposure in Potter County; in 1998 in Monroe County; and in 1999 in Washington County after likely exposure in Clearfield County.
On July 24, 2007, the Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed a diagnosis of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in a 40-year-old man who worked at a Boy Scout camp in Clearfield County. The man was seriously ill but he has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital.
Working in cooperation with the Department of Health, the camp has taken recommended actions, such as cleaning rodent droppings in buildings, trapping and poison baiting to reduce rodent populations, and sealing openings that can allow rodents to enter structures.