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Published Date: 2012-06-07 02:11:44
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Hantavirus update 2012 - Americas (19): USA
Archive Number: 20120607.1158816

HANTAVIRUS UPDATE 2012 - AMERICAS (19): USA
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In this update:
[1] Oregon (Linn county)
[2] South Dakota (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)
[3] Utah (Millard and Salt Lake Counties)

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[1] Oregon (Linn county)
Date: Sat 2 Jun 2012
Source: Democrat Herald [edited]
http://democratherald.com/news/local/first-case-of-hantavirus-confirmed-in-linn-county/article_6cf13fae-ac24-11e1-b13a-0019bb2963f4.html

The 1st case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has been confirmed in Linn County, according to Frank Moore, director of the Linn County Health Department. Moore said the victim became ill after cleaning out a building where rodents had been seen. He was hospitalized last week but is now recovering at home.

The disease is transmitted by touching deer mice droppings or breathing contaminated dust, but can also be transmitted by a bite.

Symptoms are similar to certain types of pneumonia or respiratory viruses such as influenza, including fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. The symptoms can take 2 weeks to appear. The virus breaks down the cells in the lungs.

"To my knowledge, this is the 1st case of the hantavirus in Linn County since it became known about 1992," Moore said. "It is not spread by person-to-person contact, but we do want people to be cautious, especially since we have so many rural residents in the county. The deer mice [_Peromyscus maniculatus_] like to nest in barns and outbuildings, especially during cool weather."

Moore said his office was contacted on Fri 25 May [2012] and sent the initial sample to the state health lab on Tue 29 May 2012, the 1st day it was open after a furlough day and the Memorial Day holiday.

"My understanding is it takes 24 to 48 hours to set up the lab for this type of testing," Moore said. "They notified us late Thursday [31 May 2012] that it was positive."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 587 cases of hantavirus reported in more than half the states in the US. 16 cases have been reported in Oregon including one each in Jefferson and Deschutes counties in 2011. Moore said there have been 4 Oregon deaths.

In October 2010, a former Albany resident (male, 35 years old) died of [a] hantavirus [infection] during a vacation in Colorado.

To learn more about hantavirus, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus.

Minimizing the risk of hantavirus infection [CDC advice]:
- avoid contact with wild rodents
- keep rodents away from buildings by keeping lawns mowed and homes free of debris and trash. Wood piles should be at last 12 inches off the ground
- make sure rodents don't have access to food, water, or nesting sites
- keep food scraps and garbage in rodent-proof metal or thick plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Do not allow pet or animal food to sit out
- keep rodents out of buildings by using steel screens, caulk or weather stripping to seal holes or gaps around the house and garage doors. If openings near pipes and electrical wiring are present, seal with steel wool
- if rodents are present, use snap traps with peanut butter mixed with oats as effective bait
- air out rodent infested places at least 30 minutes before clean up
- use diluted household bleach or products containing phenol on rodent droppings 15 minutes before cleaning areas contaminated by rodents. Use personal protective equipment such as rubber gloves and N100 respirators
- dead rodents should be sprayed with disinfectant such as bleach and then placed in a plastic bag that contains enough disinfectant to thoroughly wet the carcass
- wash your hands thoroughly after clean up
- do not vacuum, use leaf blowers or sweep rodent-contaminated areas before cleaning, mopping or spraying with disinfectant.

[byline: Alex Paul]

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communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
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[The specific hantavirus in this case is not specified but most likely is Sin Nombre virus.

An image of _Peromyscus maniculatus_, the rodent host of Sin Nombre virus, can be accessed at http://share3.esd105.wednet.edu/rsandelin/Fieldguide/Animalpages/Mammals/Land%20mammals.htm#Deer_mouse.

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map showing the location of Linn County in Oregon can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/2wKx. - Mod.TY]

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[2] South Dakota (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation)
Date: Tue 5 Jun 2012
Source: NECN [edited]
http://www.necn.com/06/05/12/2nd-hantavirus-case-confirmed-on-Pine-Ri/landing_health.html?&apID=c599357e5765426bac0e6b8663a86b5b

While many Oglala Sioux residents living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation had heard about an outbreak of hantavirus in the Navajo Nation in 1993, they weren't worried about the disease spread by rodents until a 7 year old member of their tribe died last week.

Tribal officials said late on Monday night [4 Jun 2012] that a 2nd case has developed, and they are working with several agencies to pass out hundreds of cleaning kits that include gloves, masks, and bleach to help prevent further spread of the disease. Rodents shed the virus in their urine, waste, and saliva, and it can become airborne in particles of dust.

The Navajo outbreak, in which several otherwise healthy young people died after suffering acute respiratory failure, led to the discovery of [a] hantavirus [Sin Nombre virus]. But it was hundreds of miles away and nearly 2 decades ago. Pine Ridge didn't need to worry about that, residents thought. "Until it hit us ... It was something we couldn't even imagine," tribal spokeswoman Donna Salomon said.

Health officials confirmed last week that a 7 year old girl had died from the disease. Tribal officials say another child case is currently in hospital, but an official with the South Dakota Department of Health says it is still investigating and hasn't confirmed the infection.

Health administrator Lisa Dillon said tribal organizations are in the midst of passing out 800 kits of cleaning supplies, with several thousand to be distributed over the course of the next month. Leaders also are working to educate members with information on TV, radio and in brochures. "We're going to the homes and sharing information to see if they are aware (about hantavirus), and if they need more info or want cleaning supplies; we will take them out to them," Dillon said.

Some residents are fearful, said Salomon, the tribe's spokeswoman, but officials want to make it clear that hantavirus is preventable.

Oglala Sioux officials have alerted other tribes and sent information to state officials in South Dakota and nearby Nebraska so they too can take steps to prevent infection.

Through 2011, there were 587 reported cases of the disease in the United States, including 16 in South Dakota, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The South Dakota Department of Health said the girl's death is the 5th in the state from [a] hantavirus [infection].

Hantavirus can infect anyone, anywhere, but cases are usually found in rural areas, according to CDC. Utah health officials said on Tuesday [5 Jun 2012] that they've confirmed 2 people have died from hantavirus [infections] in the state in the past month.

The disease is not spread by person-to-person contact.

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

[The specific hantavirus in this case is not specified but most likely is Sin Nombre virus.

A map showing the location of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota can be accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Ridge_Indian_Reservation. - Mod.TY]

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[3] Utah (Millard and Salt Lake Counties)
Date: Tue 5 Jun 2012
Source: Salt Lake Tribune [edited]
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54245009-78/hantavirus-rodent-baker-bleach.html.csp

Last month [May 2012], 2 Utahans died from hantavirus [infections], the 1st confirmed cases of the year and 1st fatalities from the virus since 2009, say health officials.

"We usually have about one case a year. Sometimes they survive, and sometimes they don't," said JoDee Baker, an epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health. "But to have 2 fatalities so early in the season was why we wanted to get the word out. We know they had rodent exposure, because that's how the virus is spread," she said. "We just don't know where. We're still investigating." Officials will not release the names of the deceased. Both were adults between the ages of 20 and 65. One lived in Millard County and the other in Salt Lake County, but it's unclear where they were infected.

Summer is peak season for hantavirus [infection], which is carried predominantly by deer mice [_Peromyscus maniculatus_] in North America. People are usually exposed by breathing contaminated dust after disturbing or cleaning rodent droppings or nests or by living or working in rodent-infested environments.

Exposure is more common in rural areas, but the Salt Lake County victim isn't believed to have traveled throughout the state and could have been infected within county lines, Baker said.

In North America, there is no evidence of the virus spreading from human to human, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infection can lead to respiratory failure or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a deadly lung disease with a mortality rate of 38 per cent. "It's really rare, but potentially deadly, which is why we want people to be aware of their surroundings," Baker said.

Rodent populations fluctuate. But weather, particularly a dry spell followed by a period of heavy rain, can increase a person's chances of exposure to hantaviruses, said Hector Aguilar-Carreno, a researcher and assistant professor at Washington State University's Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology.

[byline: Kirsten Stewart]

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communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
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[As with the 2 reports above, the specific hantavirus in this case is not specified but most likely is Sin Nombre virus.

HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive maps showing the locations of Millard and Salt Lake Counties can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/2wKA and http://healthmap.org/r/2wKB, respectively. - Mod.TY]

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