What is hantavirus? Illness that killed Gene Hackman's wife leaves 3 more dead in U.S.

The illness that killed actor Gene Hackman’s wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, in February in New Mexico has now left three more dead in California. The bodies of Arakawa and Hackman were discovered by authorities at their home, local news outlet Sante Fe New Mexican reported . After autopsies were performed, it was revealed that Hackman, 95, died from complications related to heart disease. However, 65-year-old Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary disorder, according to Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell. Meanwhile, health officials from Mono County in California confirmed the death of a third person linked to hantavirus last week. Here’s what to know. What is hantavirus? Hantavirus is part of a group of viruses that can cause severe illness and death in humans, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) . People can become infected with a hantavirus by inhaling particles from an infected rodent’s urine, droppings or saliva. This can occur when someone is sweeping or vacuuming in an area with rodent waste. People can become infected if they touch something that has come into contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of an infected rodent, or if they eat food that has been contaminated. Although it is rare, people can become infected if they are bitten by a rodent with the virus. There is also a type of hantavirus, called the Andes hantavirus, that spreads through person-to-person contact. But all of the other types of hantaviruses do not spread that way, per the agency. According to the agency, the most common rodents that spread different kinds of hantaviruses are the deer mouse, the cotton rat, the rice rat, the white-footed mouse and the red-backed vole. In Canada, the agency said that the deer mouse, white-footed mouse and red-backed vole are widespread in parts of the country. What are the symptoms of hantavirus? Hantaviruses can cause two syndromes, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says online . In North and South America, hantaviruses can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which is most commonly spread by the deer mouse. Hantaviruses that are found mainly in Europe and Asia can cause haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), per the CDC. Another type of hantavirus, the Seoul virus, causes HFRS and can be found around the world. For those infected with HPS, symptoms occur one to six weeks after exposure, according to PHAC. Symptoms can include fatigue, dizziness, fever and chills, muscle aches and headaches, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, coughing, as well as shortness of breath and severe difficulty breathing. For those infected with HFRS, symptoms can occur one to two weeks after exposure. They can include intense headaches, back and stomach pain, fever, chills, nausea, blurred vision, as well as flushed face, inflamed or red eyes, rash, low blood pressure. “Serious cases may result in internal bleeding,” says PHAC. There is no specific treatment for hantavirus. Those infected receive care for their symptoms. According to the Canadian health agency, around 40 per cent of those with HPS will die. “Depending on the virus, about 1 per cent to 12 per cent of those diagnosed with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome will not recover,” says PHAC. How common is hantavirus in Canada and around the world? HFRS cases due to a hantavirus infection have not been detected in Canada or the United States, but there are around 150,000 and 200,000 cases worldwide each year, according to the Canadian federal government . Globally, there are about 200 cases of HPS each year, which occur mainly in North and South America, per the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases . As of Jan. 1, 2020, there have been 143 cases of HPS confirmed in Canada through laboratory testing, the centre said. Each year, there’s an average of four to five new HPS cases in the country. Per the CDC , there have been 864 cases of hantavirus detected in the U.S. as of the end of 2022. The U.S. has been monitoring hantavirus since 1993. Although hantavirus is considered rare, the recent deaths in California — three in a short period of time — is worrying to health officials. In an April 3 news release , the Mono County public health officer Dr. Tom Boo said he believed that numbers of deer mice in the Mammoth Lakes area were high this year. He said he was “concerned” and none of the deceased people had engaged in activities, like cleaning out poorly ventilated areas with rodent waste, that are typically associated with hantavirus exposure. The cases in California are being investigated by local and state public health officials.

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