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Published Date: 2013-05-20 17:17:19
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus update - Americas (25): Argentina (NE) USA (MT)
Archive Number: 20130520.1724560

HANTAVIRUS UPDATE - AMERICAS (25): ARGENTINA (NEUQUEN)
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In this update:
[1] USA (Montana)
[2] Argentina (Neuquen)

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[1] USA (Montana)
Date: Fri 17 May 2013
Source: The Republic, Associated Press report [edited]
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/5242cf8375ab4d63b696ddd6151f55ce/MT--Hantavirus-Death


Montana State health officials say a 20-year-old Bozeman [Gallatin County] woman recently died of [a] hantavirus [infection] while a Carbon County man in his 40s has been diagnosed with the disease.

Park County Coroner Al Jenkins tells the Livingston Enterprise that the woman of Bozeman died 11 May [2013] of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at Billings Clinic. Jenkins says it's not clear where the woman was exposed to the virus.

Hantavirus [infection] can be contracted by breathing air containing the virus, which is present in the urine, droppings, and saliva of infected rodents. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches while the late symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath as the lungs fill with fluid.

The woman is the 10th Montanan to die of hantavirus [infections] since 1993.

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
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[Although not specified, the hantavirus involved in this case is probably Sin Nombre virus. Although the report gives no information about the circumstances under which the woman could have been exposed to the virus, the rodent host of Sin Nombre virus is the deer mouse (_Peromyscus maniculatus_) which is widely distributed in North America and can be found in houses and other buildings.

An image of _Peromyscus maniculatus_ can be seen at http://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/mouse_f.jpg.

The state of Montana can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at http://healthmap.org/r/1kJm. A county map can be seen on the map at http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/montana.shtml. - Mod.TY]

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[2] Argentina (Neuquen)
Date: Sun 19 May 2013
Source: La Manana Neuquen [in Spanish, trans. Mod.TY, edited]
http://www.lmneuquen.com.ar/noticias/2013/5/19/seis-sospechas-y-un-caso-de-hantavirus-desde-2012_187738


The provincial office of Epidemiology warned the populace to not expose themselves to any type of contact with rodents or to try to eliminate them.

The provincial office of Epidemiology indicated that since last year [2012] there were 6 suspected cases of [a] hantavirus [infection] and just one was confirmed. Most of them were sent to a more complex hospital such as Castro Rendon. "We prefer it this way because it signifies that the necessary precautions will be taken," said Adriana Feltri, provincial Director of Epidemiology.

Feltri stated that they have had 6 reports of suspected hantavirus [infections], most coming from residents of Junin de los Andes, San Martin de los Andes, and the Alumine area. "Of these, one was confirmed and the rest discarded as not having been infected by the virus," he confirmed.

The head of provincial Epidemiology signaled that in anticipation of the flowering of colihue cane [a bamboo], they formed an interdisciplinary team charged with taking preventive measures. She stated that they will be working in different health zones, [with personnel from] National Parks, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and Biology departments of National Parks who will identify areas of [cane] flowering.

"It is agreed among [health] officials that any suspected [hantavirus infection cases] will be sent to a major hospital complex. We prefer to send them there despite the inconvenience to the families, rather than keep a suspected case in an intermediate hospital and subsequently arrive too late at more complex [services]," Feltri remarked.

Feltri insisted that they have tried to keep the people calm. "A single case is not a major problem. We always have cases and are always affected given our climatic and geographic conditions. We live with the colihue cane and with rodents in the mountainous area," she explained.

Nonetheless, she warned the populace not to be exposed to any type of contact with mice and not to try to eliminate them, because this requires people trained to do it. "We prefer emphasis on being careful. We work with personnel in the Zoonosis [unit] who capture rodents. They include trained teams," she added.

Feltri recommended that tourists hike on designated trails and not risk camping in open places without adequate information from the Office of tourism. Residents of these mountain localities are urged to not pile up trash, clean storage buildings, and keep firewood in piles separated every 10 cm [3 in].

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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Colihue cane (_Chusquea culeou_) is a flowering perennial bamboo in the southern Andes regions. After flowering, it sets abundant seeds that are a major food source for rodents, including the long-tailed pigmy rice rat _Oligoryzomys longicaudatus_, the rodent host of Andes hantavirus which, although not specified, is probably the hantavirus involved in this case. See photo at http://www.medwave.cl/medios/perspectivas/Hantavirus/Actualiz/Fig1.jpg.

A map showing the location of Neuquen province can be accessed at http://www.zonu.com/imapa/americas/Argentina_Political_Map_3.jpg and a HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Argentina can be seen at http://healthmap.org/r/6Y*k. - Mod.TY]

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