Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 7, 1994 TAG: 9403070144
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Federal health officials say other kinds of rodents that usually shy from humans are the most likely to carry the hantavirus that has shown up in the Northeast after killing more than 30 people in the Southwest.
Early in the investigation of the often fatal respiratory illness, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thought they might be dealing with a new virus.
Over time, as they learned more about the illness and investigated variant strains of the virus and its ability to infect different species of rodents, CDC researchers were less surprised to see it crop up elsewhere.
"We're going to find hantavirus all over the U.S.," predicted Dr. Jamie Childs, a CDC epidemiologist in charge of trapping rodents and looking for signs of infection.
"This is not a new disease. We're just newly recognizing it," Childs said.
There's no reason to panic, he said. Hantavirus, in an even rarer form than that now under investigation, has infected rodents in the United States for years without causing epidemics.
And those infected with the newly discovered forms, most commonly deer mice, are usually "either out in the woods or in the fields," Childs said. "There is no indication that Norway rats [common to urban areas] or house mice are going to be the major reservoir of this disease."
Most victims of last year's outbreak lived in the Four Corners area of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, where the rare respiratory disease caused by hantavirus was first recognized in May. Since then, only isolated cases have been reported across the country.
The CDC has confirmed 60 cases of hantavirus in 16 states; at least 36 deaths have been caused by the virus since May.
So far, three strains of deadly hantavirus have been discovered in the United States:
The Southwestern strain.
One that killed a Louisiana man.
One discovered in cotton rats in Florida.
The CDC is considering the possibility of two more separate strains, the case in the Northeast and one in California.
\ WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR\ FACTS ABOUT HANTAVIRUS
To avoid infection from rodent infestation:
Use traps that kill. Avoid handling the rodent. Disinfect the dead animal and trap with liquid disinfectant before touching.
If the infestation is confined, open windows to ventilate before cleaning. Use liquid cleansers that disinfect. Do not vacuum or sweep rodent droppings. Dust-mist masks, long-sleeved clothing and protective eyewear may help prevent exposure.
If in doubt, consult an exterminator or state health department.
> Symptoms of hantaviral pulmonary syndrome:
Symptoms develop about two weeks after exposure.
Early symptoms are identical to the flu: fever, chills, muscle aches and general listlessness. The disease progresses rapidly to breathing difficulties as a patient's lungs fill with fluid. People who believe they may be infected should see a doctor. There is no specific treatment for the disease. AP
by CNB