Chile reports first infection with Hanta virus in 2008 Jan 19, 2008
SANTIAGO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chile's Public Health Research Institute confirmed on Thursday the first case of infection of Hanta virus in 2008, involving a peasant in Nuble province in central Chile. The 39-year-old man, now hospitalized and in serious condition, was believed to be infected while cleaning a warehouse, according to his own description. (Xinhuanet, China)
Can hantavirus infection spread among humans? Jan 19, 2008
Can hantavirus infection spread among humans ... Can hantavirus infection spread among humans ... In connection with last year's epidemic, a research team at Umea University in Sweden has managed for the first time to show that hantavirus exists in human saliva; this raises the question of whether this contagion can spread among humans. (EurekAlert!)
Disease expert resigns Jan 10, 2008
In 1993, the deadly hantavirus first appeared in Montana. The disease is spread by a virus that lives in mouse droppings. (Missoulian, MT)
Crew Find 8 Baby Mice Aboard Airplane Jan 10, 2008
They were tested for hantavirus and other dangerous viruses and results were negative, China's Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its Web site. "Our customers on this flight were always safe and unaware of the situation," Urbanski said. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Infected mice? Jan 5, 2008
It was the second time in five weeks that mice at the popular park were tested for hantavirus ... Two out of eight or nine mice trapped at the park by vector control agents in late November tested positive for hantavirus, which has killed more than 375 people in the United States since 1993 ... Named after the Hantaan River in Korea, where a hantavirus infection was discovered during the Korean War. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Health: Agencies slow to respond to possible bioterrorism Jan 5, 2008
For any infectious disease from West Nile virus to the plague or hantavirus the faster we can respond, the faster we can control the spread, Wooten said. The CDC spends up to $1 billion annually to support anti-bioterrorism and emergency-response efforts for public health departments, including about $5 million for the agency in San Diego County. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Mice with hantavirus caught in Torrey Pines Dec 29, 2007
San Diego County vector control officers reported Friday that they had found wild mice in Torrey Pines State Reserve that tested positive for hantavirus, a disease that can spread to humans and is potentially fatal ... A North County exterminator said Friday that hantavirus hasn't been a problem he had encountered in eight years on the job, but that the recent wildfires may cause wild animals to seek new foraging grounds ... Hantavirus is carried by wild rodents, primarily deer or field mice,... (North County Times)
- Researchers explore effects of climate change on health… Dec 25, 2007
Weve seen in the last couple of years more cases of hantavirus, Lynn said ... Hantavirus is a pulmonary disease spread through human contact with the droppings, urine or saliva of virus-carrying rodents, such as deer mice ... Skagit Valley College soccer player Garret Chase, 21, died in 2003 from hantavirus. (Anacortes Weekly, WA)
Biologist found source of deadly hantavirus Dec 24, 2007
template_bastemplate_bas By Matt Schudel, Washington Post December 24, 2007 Terry L. Yates, a biologist who discovered the source of the deadly hantavirus in the Southwest United States and who held several leadership positions with the National Science Foundation in Washington, has died ... Using animal specimens he had collected over the years throughout the Southwest, Yates, with research partner Robert Parmenter, isolated the source of what came to be known as the hantavirus ... Medical... (Los Angeles Times)
WHO lab at Haffkine to fight avian flu Dec 23, 2007
The laboratory will be equipped to fight even the deadliest of viral attacks, like that of Hantavirus (infectious respiratory disease), Ebola virus and most importantly the human transmission of avian influenza. The expertise of this laboratory will also help tackle bio-terrorism or an anthrax attack, said Dr Ranjana Deshmukh, Director, Haffkine Research Institute. (Daily News & Analysis)
Protect against diseases when hunting or enjoying outdoor activities Nov 22, 2007
"Outdoor activities bring a greater risk of exposure to diseases transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes and other animals." Animals can transmit such diseases as hantavirus, anthrax, brucellosis, tularemia and rabies ... Mice can spread hantavirus infection to people, shedding the virus in droppings, urine and saliva ... "Wearing a mask when cleaning cabins, sheds or barns can reduce the risk of coming in contact with hantavirus.". (Fort Stockton Pioneer, TX)
Plague Suspected In Death Of Man In Arizona Nov 11, 2007
When he was found dead health officials suspected either plague or hantavirus that causes a type of hemorrhagic fever, and immediately tracked down 49 people who had been in recent contact with him so they could have aggressive antibiotic treatment. None of them has become ill. (Medical News Today)
Official says Grand Canyon biologist probably died of plague Nov 10, 2007
York died last week, and officials suspected plague or hantavirus because of his work and hobbies. Both diseases, while rare, are endemic to the Southwest. (FOX 11, AZ)
Hantavirus, deadly in humans, discovered in mouse Nov 10, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- A wild mouse trapped in the Tijuana River Valley by county health officials has tested positive for hantavirus, a disease that can spread to humans and is potentially fatal, it was announced today. Hantavirus is carried by wild rodents, primarily deer mice, and is left in droppings and urine that can be inhaled by humans, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health ... The airborne virus can cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which has symptoms similar to... (North County Times)
Heath Officials Warn Of Rodent Disease Nov 10, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- The County Vector Control issued a warning Friday about the presence of Hantavirus, an airborne virus found in rodent feces and urine found in rodents that has been emerging more frequently. Officials said more rodents have been present lately as a result of the recent wildfires. (NBCSandiego.com, CA)
Hantavirus detected in TJ Valley mouse Nov 10, 2007
SAN DIEGO A wild mouse in the Tijuana River Valley area has tested positive for hantavirus, county officials said Friday. More information on the Hantavirus is available at the county's Dept. of Environmental Health Web site ... Hantavirus is a rare but deadly disease that humans catch from wild rodents, primarily deer mice. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nation: Death of Grand Canyon biologist linked to plague Nov 10, 2007
Park Service officials said they suspected the plague or hantavirus, another sometimes-fatal disease endemic to the Southwest. Health officials in Arizona warned in September that the plague appeared to be on the rise and that more cases were likely after an Apache County woman was infected with the disease. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Dozens being treated after Grand Canyon wildlife biologist dies Nov 7, 2007
Because of York's professional interests and hobbies, medical officials believe hantavirus and plague are possible causes, according to a Park Service spokeswoman ... Hantavirus is transmitted to humans through infected rodent droppings, urine and saliva and is not transmitted from person to person. (North County Times)
Park biologist may have died of infectious disease Nov 7, 2007
Hantavirus and plague are possible causes, said Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. About 30 people who came within 6 feet of York in the days before his death and while retrieving his body are being treated with antibiotics as a precaution, she said. (AZCentral -- News)
NASA technology helps predict and prevent future pandemic outbreaks Nov 7, 2007
Remote sensing technology not only helps monitor infectious disease outbreaks in highly affected areas, but also provides information about possible plague-carrying vectors -- such as insects or rodents -- globally and within the U.S. The Four Corners region, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, is a highly susceptible area for plague and Hanta virus outbreaks, and by understanding the mixture of vegetation, rainfall and slope of the area, scientists can predict the food... (EurekAlert!)
Program to introduce people to snakes, lizards Oct 31, 2007
Snakes eliminate rodents, which carry diseases such as hantavirus and bubonic plague, Johnson says. "There's no reason for people to take shovels and hack snakes up because they are a great resource and won't intentionally harm anyone," he says. (AZCentral -- News)
Climate testimony reportedly 'eviscerated' Oct 25, 2007
"Details of deletionsThe deletions directed by the White House included details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC's analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels, according to one official who has seen the original version.Gerberding seems to have tried to address some of those issues during questioning from senators.Boxer produced a CDC chart listing the broad... (MSNBC -- Environment)
Scientists discover hantavirus mechanism Oct 11, 2007
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) A group of researchers has discovered a mechanism that helps protect deer mice from hantavirus even though the rodents carry the life-threatening disease. The research could pave the way for new therapies for treating hantavirus and other so-called zoonotic diseases transmitted to humans by animals - a huge class that includes SARS, rabies, influenza and AIDS. ... The research began with the question: "Why don't deer mice get hantavirus disease.". (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
How Safe Are Our Bio-Labs? Oct 9, 2007
Still missing from the register: SARS, Hantavirus and other deadly viruses, which, as a consequence, are subject to virtually no regulation at all. Lack of oversight means lack of policing, which often leads to underreporting of potentially fatal accidents. (Time.com)
Texas teen battles back from mystery illness Sep 23, 2007
dozen or more possible explanations Rocky Mountain spotted fever, West Nile virus, Legionnaires disease, Lyme disease, Q fever, tuberculosis, adenovirus, hantavirus and more. As long as it s not the hantavirus, we ll be OK, Bob tells Donna ... There it is, big as day the hantavirus. (KHOU.com, TX)
WHAT'S UP DOC? Ebola is a virulent viral fever Sep 18, 2007
Last week I discussed hantavirus syndrome, which is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) from Bunyaviridae virus infection ... This person-to-person contagious aspect of Ebola makes it very different from hantavirus, which is not transmitted from person to person. (MetroWest Daily News)
CalSurv: One-Stop Shopping for Vectorborne Disease Surveillance in Californ Davis, Sep. 14 Sep 15, 2007
Said Vicki Kramer, chief of the Vector-borne Disease Section, CDPH: "The CalSurv Web site provides an excellent forum for the exchange of current information on vector-borne diseases in California. It is an important resource for public health and vector control professionals, and will assist the general public in furthering their understanding of plague, hantavirus, West Nile virus, tick-borne diseases, and related topics.". Chris Voight, executive director MVCAC, described the Web site as... (University of California Newswire, CA)
Rodents Head Indoors for Fall and Winter Sep 8, 2007
Some of these diseases, such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and the plague are potentially deadly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HPS, which is spread through the airborne urine, saliva or fecal material of infected deer mice, has been identified in 30 states during the last 14 years. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Utes win lawsuit over bike rally Aug 18, 2007
He said a medical condition stemming from a case of hantavirus contracted 10 years ago that left him with fluid in the lining of the lungs and prevented him from appearing in court. Bradshaw testified that, "It was impossible for the corporation to continue on in Ignacio.". (Durango Herald)
District ready to put bite on mosquitos Aug 3, 2007
The war on such pests as disease carrying mosquitoes and rodents that carry the deadly hanta virus needs to be escalated by creating a tax-funded control district, Moss says. Toward that end, the Board of Supervisors will be asked to formally create such a district during their meeting at 2 p.m. Aug. 28. (The Union Democrat)
State cuts virus testing Jul 26, 2007
He said the same thing happened after an outbreak of hantavirus in 1993 ... The state has had six cases of hantavirus this year, including four people who died. (Boulder Colorado Daily, CO)
Man recovers from hantavirus contracted in Pa. Jul 25, 2007
NEPA News - Man recovers from hantavirus contracted in Pa ... Man recovers from hantavirus contracted in Pa ... The Associated Press 07/24/2007 A man contracted and recovered from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and potentially fatal pneumonia-like virus carried by rodents, the state health department said Tuesday. (NEPA News, PA)
Smart, curious, ticklish. rats? Jul 25, 2007
They carry diseases like typhus, leptospirosis, hanta virus pulmonary syndrome, rat bite fever, salmonella poisoning, and of course bubonic plague, and they are ravenous Remys every one of them, feasting on our grains and meats, chewing our ratatouille and destroying as much as a third of global food supplies each year. "Over the past century alone," writes Robert Sullivan in "Rats," his magisterial history of the urban pest, "rats have been responsible for the death of more than 10 million... (International Herald Tribune)
Full Story » Jul 25, 2007
In the past week, three people have died of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome a disease found in deer mice ... Hantavirus is a respiratory disease carried by deer mice, which are usually found in rural areas ... Hantavirus begins with high fever, severe body aches, a headache and vomiting. (Boulder Colorado Daily, CO)
Public Urged To Take Precautions Against Hantavirus Jul 13, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- With the recent news that a Mono County man was diagnosed with hantavirus, the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency and the Department of Environmental Health Vector Control is encouraging the public to take precautions when entering enclosed spaces frequented by wild rodents. "Hantavirus is rare, but it can be deadly," said County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten ... To reduce the risk of hantavirus infection, do not vacuum, sweep or dust areas for 30 minutes after... (NBCSandiego.com, CA)
As garbage piles up, vermin will multiply Jul 12, 2007
But rats and their fleas can transmit typhus, a bacterial fever, and hantavirus, a pulmonary syndrome, though both diseases are rare. "There's a long list of rat-borne diseases, but since we have good sanitation, we haven't seen that in our area. But there's always the potential for a resurgence," Wilson said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Brasher: Plague Is A 'Part of Life' Jun 15, 2007
The painter's masks came up again at the meeting, this time during a discussion about hantavirus. Hantavirus is spread when an infected rodent's feces and urine dries, turns to dust and is inhaled ... Spraying a dead animal with bleach is effective against hantavirus, according to health officials, but plague is generally spread by infected fleas. (Cedar Crest East Mountain Telegraph, NM)
The Legal Questions Behind the TB Case Jun 8, 2007
The majority, he said, have involved tuberculosis, giving the Hantavirus -- a deadly disease spread by rodents -- and the water-borne Legionnaires' disease as other examples. GEORGIA'S TB LAW. (Law.com)
Beware: Hantavirus is back! May 29, 2007
Beware: Hantavirus is back ... People who are cleaning cabins or other buildings that were closed for the winter should protect themselves against hantavirus, a disease transmitted by infected mice, according to Julie Goplin, epidemiologist with the North Dakota Department of Health ... Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a viral infection that causes severe lung disease. (Devils Lake Daily Journal, ND)
Portrait: Mary Schmidt Case has a passion for pathology May 22, 2007
In another fascinating situation, one of Case's peers was able to solve why Native Americans in New Mexico were dying from the Hanta virus, never seen in humans before. There, investigators were able to identify contact with rat urine as the culprit, thus preventing more deaths. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
Landmark study details demographic, ecological and genetic spread of rabies in raccoon outbreak May 18, 2007
During invasion, emerging pathogens, such as rabies, ebola and hantavirus, undergo rapid evolution while expanding their numbers and geographic range; yet, it is difficult to demonstrate how these processes interact, says Dr. Real. However, this particular outbreak, which went largely unchecked until relatively recently, was unusually well documented both spatially and temporally. (EurekAlert!)
Syrupy killer in medicine bottle May 6, 2007
Several years earlier, Sosa had watched as other doctors identified the cause of another epidemic, later identified as hantavirus, a pathogen spread by infected rodents. "I took care of patients but I somehow felt I did not do enough," he said. (Houston Chronicle)
Hantavirus case diagnosed in Multnomah Co. May 3, 2007
A man in his 50s in rural Multnomah County is recovering from Oregon's ninth reported case of hantavirus, the county health department said Wednesday ... Rodents carry hantavirus. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR)
John Purvis and Sandra Diaz report on the latest news, weather and what's hot on our website. Click here to watch the latest KFOXTV.com Webcast. May 2, 2007
Vanessa Reyes Reports: Hantavirus ... Vanessa Reyes Reports: Hantavirus. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
State Health Officials Warn Of Potentially Deadly Disease May 1, 2007
The New Mexico Health Department is warning residents of hantavirus after a 59-year-old woman from Taos County was recently hospitalized with the disease. According to New Mexico Department of Health spokesman Chris Minnick, this is the first confirmed report of the disease. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Hantavirus absent in Belle men Apr 13, 2007
The deadly rodent-borne hantavirus does not appear to have killed a Belle man and infected another resident from the same town earlier this year, according to recent test results. Blood samples for the men were sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, after preliminary local lab results indicated that the men were possibly infected with hantavirus last February ... Only two hantavirus cases had been reported in the state both in Elkins. (Charleston Gazette, WV -- News)
Assessment district sought to control West Nile Virus threat Apr 10, 2007
Moss was quick to point out that vector control is far more than mosquitoes and WNV. Calaveras vector control is responsible for handling mosquitoes, which carry WNV, encephalitis, malaria and dog heartworm; ticks, which carry Lyme Disease and rickettsioses; mice, which can carry the hantavirus; and fleas, which can carry the plague. At a study session held with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Moss made his case for why the county should approve a special benefit assessment district for... (San Andreas Calaveras Enterprise, CA)
So, that's my problem: I've got a 'fat' virus Mar 28, 2007
There are many viruses with exotic and interesting names such as: cereal yellow dwarf virus, Leaky virus and Four Corners hantavirus. There are viruses named after plants and vegetables such as: squash mosaic virus, tobacco virus, tomato bushy stunt virus and rice dwarf virus. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Possible Hantavirus death being investigated in Kanawha Mar 23, 2007
Kanawha-Charleston Health Department officials are investigating whether the deadly rodent-born Hantavirus killed a Belle man and infected another resident from the same town. Dr. Kerry Gateley, health department director, said Thursday that lab results from local hospitals indicated that both men were infected with Hantavirus ... The lab result on the other man indicated an old Hantavirus infection, Gateley said. (Charleston Gazette, WV -- News)
Health department to post salaries online Mar 16, 2007
Also Thursday, Gateley said the health department received a lab report indicating a Belle man may have been infected and killed by hantavirus, which is connected to rodent secretions. Although the man died about six weeks ago, autopsy results have not determined the man was infected with hantavirus, Gateley said ... Hantavirus does not spread from person to person, Gateley said. (Charleston Gazette, WV -- News)
Antibiotic overload Feb 27, 2007
What has come about instead is the emergence of new species-jumping infectious diseases such as AIDS, SARS and Hantavirus, and the re-emergence of deadlier forms of older diseases, such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The development of new antibiotics has slowed in recent years. (Montana Standard, MT)
To trap or not to trap: As long as our wildlife is well managed and trapping is well regulated, it's acceptable - Sunday, February 25, 2007 Feb 25, 2007
Mice are unwelcome in my garage, partly because of the mess they make but also because of their potential to infect me or my wife with potentially deadly hantavirus. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adamantly advocates rodent control in and around the home precisely for that reason. (Missoulian, MT)
Diseases connected to climate change? Feb 12, 2007
Hantavirus: Life-threatening disease contracted through contact with the feces and urine of infected rodents. First detected in New Mexico in 1993. (Globe and Mail)
Related: An island of natural airborne killers Feb 10, 2007
North America has suffered the emergence of hantavirus in 1993, the expanding terrain of ticks that ferry Lyme disease and, in 1999, the arrival of the West Nile virus. But increasingly scientists also see fungi as a harbinger of the health risks ahead. (Globe and Mail)
Gallatin County health officials confirm fatal hantavirus case Jan 29, 2007
(AP) - A Gallatin County woman has died of hantavirus, the Gallatin City-County Health Department said Wednesday. The department is investigating how and where the 43-year-old woman contracted the disease, also called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome ... People get hantavirus by inhaling airborne particles from dried droppings, saliva or urine of infected deer mice, the department said. (Helena Independent Record)
• Hantavirus death reported in western North Dakota Jan 25, 2007
North Dakota: Hantavirus death reported in western North Dakota ... Hantavirus death reported in western North Dakota ... A death from hantavirus has been reported in western North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune, ND)
Widespread illness not related to sick child Jan 25, 2007
The boy tested negative for hantavirus and plague. The cause of the illness was not yet known, but county health officials said it does not appear he contracted it while at the camp. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
A center for mysterious, obscure disease control Jan 4, 2007
enlarged photographic slides of deadly viruses like ebola and hantavirus that decorate the new lunchroom at his office, Dr. Sherif Zaki professed himself to be uplifted. "I can't tell you how much this has done for our morale," Zaki said. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Wildlife Can Alert Next Health Threat for Those Watching Dec 5, 2006
Tracking rodent populations turned out to be important with the hantavirus in the four corners area. Finding the next threat before it strikes depends on public help. (KOLD.com, AZ)
Exotic Pet Craze Unleashes Threat Of Disease In U.S. Dec 1, 2006
" Some of the scariest diseases to emerge since 2001 also have been tied to exotic animals: One of the first times the deadly Asian bird flu reached the West was in eagles smuggled aboard a plane to Europe. Likewise, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, is thought to have jumped to people from caged civet cats in a Chinese market. The cats are thought to have gotten the virus from bats. Carroll, the disease hunter, knows the dangers well. For the past three years, he has traveled the... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- News)
Exotic Pets Could Cause Wild Virus Outbreak Nov 28, 2006
Hantavirus, which is carried by rodents and can cause acute respiratory problems or death, has sickened at least 317 Americans and killed at least 93 since 1996. More than 600 people have been sickened since 2000 with tularemia, a virulent disease that can be contracted from rabbits, hamsters and other rodents. (TheSanDiegoChannel.com, CA)
Exotic Pets in U.S. May Pose Health Risk Nov 27, 2006
Hantavirus, which is carried by rodents and can cause acute respiratory problems or death, has sickened at least 317 Americans and killed at least 93 since 1996 ... Rodents can carry hantavirus as well as Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, which causes high fever, muscle pain and severe bleeding in humans and can lead to death. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
New frontier in research Nov 10, 2006
Emerging infectious diseases like Nipah virus and hantavirus. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AZCentral -- News)
Yellowstone, universities to study wildlife diseases Oct 31, 2006
Those of concern include chronic wasting disease in deer and elk; whirling disease in fish; hantavirus, which is spread by deer mice and has caused human fatalities; and mosquito-borne West Nile virus, found in humans and animals. The Yellowstone Wildlife Health program spanning five years is intended to examine diseases already found among the park's animals and other disorders that appear to be edging close. (Helena Independent Record)
Exhibit: 'The scoop on poop' Oct 24, 2006
Rodent excrement is a vector for numerous diseases including the potentially fatal hantavirus, and human feces is toxic for certain plants. "Fecal material can pass a lot of different diseases. That being said it's not something that we should paint with such a broad brush that people don't understand it," McGill said. (USA Today -- News)
