The Spring Cleaning Killer
Spring is near and the annual urge to clean up all those under used areas you’ve let go all winter will arrive as well. But before the broom and dust rag raise their clouds, there is a danger that must be considered.
Hanta Virus.
Hanta Virus causes the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in humans. This is a covert disease that often kills without ever being detected. It mimics pneumonia and is often misdiagnosed as such. Luckily, the treatment for both diseases are similar. However, HPS is a serious threat and approximately one in three victims die according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC reports that HPS is caused by a group of viruses carried by rodents. One of these, Sin Nombre, occurs in deer mice in North America and this is what causes HPS in people. There are other hanta viruses capable of HPS in the United States, these hosted by the white-footed mice in the Northeast and the cotton and rice rats in the Southeast. The virus is excreted by mice in their urine, saliva and droppings. A person can contract this by living in an infected area, but usually the virus is absorbed when the infested areas are being cleaned. You stir up the dust of mouse dropping and you inhale the virus. Pets and other animals are not affected and don’t spread the disease to humans. In North America, there is no evidence that the virus can be spread person to person.
Exposure is most common in rural areas when cleaning outbuildings like barns and sheds.
Symptoms arrive one to six weeks after exposure, usually with three to five days of flu-like complaints such as sore muscles, headaches, nausea and fatigue. When HPS worsens there is shortness of breath due to fluid filling the lungs. This illness in no joke and usually requires hospital care. A Washington state Department of Health report states that one in three of those infected die.
This is the bad news. The good news is that the virus is easily killed with exposure to fresh air and sunshine. Most contract it when cleaning up infested areas so the solution begins with simply opening these areas up and letting them set for a day or two before you begin cleaning.
Care should still be taken when cleaning. Wear gloves and use breathing protection. Wet the area to settle the dust before you begin. When you’re done, wash your hands and, of course, keep small children away until it is throughly cleaned.
Prevention is keeping the rodents out in the first place by inspecting your property and sealing all gaps greater than one quarter of an inch.
If, after cleaning an area that might have been rodent infested, you begin suffering headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath, go to your doctor. This syndrome is a serious matter.