Rat Disease Kills Four People in the US and Spreads to Humans

In the United States, the state of Arizona has issued a health notice following the deaths of four individuals from a hantavirus spread by rodents. Humans can contract the virus by inhaling droplets from rat saliva, urine, or excrement.
The Arizona Department of Health Services recorded seven cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a potentially fatal respiratory illness, between January and July.

California has also reported two cases of this fatal virus. The virus, which is mostly spread by deer mice in the Grand Canyon State, first manifests as fever, headaches, and muscle aches. These symptoms can quickly worsen and lead to breathing difficulties. Although the hantavirus does not move from person to person, it can occur anywhere and is not exclusive to any one area.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that hantaviruses are a family of viruses that are mostly transmitted by rodents and can cause a wide range of disease symptoms in people all over the world. According to the CDC website, this can result in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

Fatigue, fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and stomach discomfort are the initial signs of hantavirus infection. Coughing and dyspnea are late signs, and the fatality rate from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is 38%. Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) include headaches, discomfort, fever, chills, nausea, and impaired vision, and they usually manifest one to eight weeks after exposure. Severe cases might result in renal failure, shock, low blood pressure, and vascular leakage. It may take weeks or months to recover.