Hantavirus
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is something you don't want, but very likely won't get. It's an infection caused by viruses. Symptoms include fever, aches and breathing problems.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adam MacNeil says about 1 in 3 cases end in death, but he also says hantavirus is extremely rare - about 20 to 30 cases a year, mostly in the Southwest.
MacNeil says hantavirus is spread by rodents, so it's another reason to prevent infestations.
``This includes sealing up properties to prevent rodent contamination, trapping rodents inside homes, and safely cleaning up rodent droppings and nests with disinfectant.'' (10 seconds)
A report on hantavirus is in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.