{"id":24555,"date":"2026-05-18T06:45:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=24555"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:28:09","slug":"take-precautions-with-hantavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/take-precautions-with-hantavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Take precautions with hantavirus. A Colorado hantavirus death this year and the recent cruise ship outbreak have highlighted this rare, deadly infection."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Cleaning
Cleaning out sheds and garages can expose people to hantavirus, a rare but serious disease carried by rodents. Wearing an N-95 mask helps reduce the risk of inhaling contaminated dust. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hantavirus has killed an adult who lived in Douglas County, Colorado, south of Denver, but health officials say the case is not connected<\/a> to the recent deadly outbreak of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both the Colorado hantavirus death and the cruise ship outbreak have sparked fears around the world because hantavirus is so deadly and the incubation period is so long \u2014 up to six weeks.<\/p>\n

People across the U.S. and around the world who may have been exposed to cruise ship travelers now are having to quarantine to prevent the spread of hantavirus.<\/p>\n

The Colorado death is linked to what’s known as the “Sin Nombre” strain of hantavirus, which typically does not spread from person to person.<\/p>\n

The cruise outbreak, which has killed three people, is tied to a different type of hantavirus, known as the “Andes” strain. That type of hantavirus can spread from person to person.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s why health experts from around the world have been tracking people who may have been exposed to cruise ship passengers. Many now are in quarantine. Sixteen cruise passengers from the U.S. are in a\u00a0federal quarantine facility in Nebraska<\/a>, and two other cruise passengers are receiving medical care in Atlanta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dramatic
A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship touring islands in the South Atlantic has put a spotlight on the dangers of this disease. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The death in Colorado and the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak have renewed attention to this rare but very serious disease that health experts have tracked for years in Colorado and throughout the southwestern U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

While hantavirus infections are uncommon, they can cause severe lung infections in humans that can kill as many as half of the people who get hantavirus. People in the U.S. usually contract hantavirus when they’re exposed to infected rodents and their droppings, urine or saliva, particularly during spring cleaning and outdoor activities, where the fecal particles become aerosolized.<\/p>\n

“It’s a function of inhaling the virus,” said Dr. Michelle Barron,<\/a> UCHealth\u2019s senior medical director for infection control and prevention and a <\/span>professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0<\/span>University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Health experts at the World Health Organization are investigating the cause of the outbreak on the MV Hondius. The first two patients who died were avid birdwatchers who had traveled extensively throughout South America before boarding the small expeditionary cruise ship, which traveled from the southern tip of Argentina to Antarctica, then through the South Atlantic.<\/p>\n

People visiting rural communities or camping or hiking in these regions should take precautions to reduce their risk. (If you’re planning a big trip, learn more about visiting a travel clinic<\/a> so you can get necessary medications and vaccines. There is not yet a vaccine that prevents hantavirus.)<\/p>\n

Hantavirus infections are uncommon overall. Fewer than 1,000 cases have been reported in the U.S., according to health experts at the World Health Organization. But most cases occur in rural areas, where rodents are more prevalent. That is why the virus poses a greater risk in rural parts of Colorado<\/a> and the Southwest.<\/p>\n

Health officials in Douglas County and with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment warned people to avoid exposure to rodents and their urine, feces, saliva or nesting materials.<\/p>\n

Hantavirus in Colorado and other parts of the U.S.: How deadly is it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>, Colorado has logged the second-highest number of cases of hantavirus in the U.S. since the CDC started tracking cases in 1993.<\/p>\n

From 1993 until now, health officials have recorded 133 hantavirus cases in Colorado, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The virus is very dangerous for those who get it. Of the 133 who contracted the illness in Colorado, 48 died.<\/p>\n

Among states in the U.S., only New Mexico has recorded more confirmed hantavirus cases than Colorado since the disease first emerged in the Four Corners region of the U.S. in 1993. New Mexico health officials have documented a total of 143 cases of hantavirus and 55 of those who contracted the virus died.<\/p>\n

Among those who have died of hantavirus in New Mexico was Betsy Arakawa, wife of the legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman.<\/p>\n

Arakawa, 65, passed away from the illness in 2025<\/a>, according to Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.<\/p>\n

Arakawa was believed to have died sometime around Feb. 12, 2025, while Hackman, 95, who suffered from Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease, is believed to have died about a week later on Feb. 18 at their home in Santa Fe. The couple’s bodies were discovered on Feb. 26, 2025, along with their dogs, one of whom was in a crate and died along with Hackman and Arakawa. Medical experts in New Mexico do not think Hackman or the dog died of hantavirus. But they have confirmed that Arakawa contracted it.<\/p>\n

So, what causes this unusual virus? Is it typically deadly? Who should worry about it, and how can you protect yourself?<\/p>\n

\"map
Source: https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/hantavirus\/data-research\/cases\/index.html<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To learn more about hantavirus, we consulted with Lauren Bryan, an infection preventionist at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is hantavirus?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Hantavirus is a family of viruses that rodents can carry. Different strains can be found in different places around the world, and more than 20 viral species have been identified. Orthohantavirus andesense <\/em>(also referred to as Andes virus) is most dominant in South America. In Colorado and the Southwestern U.S., the virus strain is Sin nombre <\/em>(or Spanish for \u2018no name\u2019), and it\u2019s carried by deer mice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important here in Colorado because we have a fair amount of deer mice,” Bryan said.<\/p>\n

Since 1993, hantavirus has sickened and killed people in rural areas of Colorado. It’s rare, but it can be very deadly, with up to 40% of people who get the illness dying of it.<\/p>\n

What is the most dangerous time of year for hantavirus?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Peak season for hantavirus is spring and early summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when people are starting to go in and clear out their sheds and garages where deer mice have been nesting,\u201d Bryan said. \u201cThe bodily fluids from the mice carry the virus. So if people sweep up excrement or touch dead mice or get bitten, they may be exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hantavirus
Hantavirus spreads when contaminated dust from rodent droppings is stirred into the air. Opening doors and wearing an N-95 mask can help reduce the risk while cleaning enclosed spaces. Photo by Joel Blocker, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“People are sweeping or cleaning without the windows open,” Barron added.<\/p>\n

The virus particles that spread hantavirus from mouse droppings then float in the air or become aerosolized.<\/p>\n

“You then can breathe it in and then it can become infected,” she said.<\/p>\n

\n

She recommends that people air out spaces before cleaning them. And they should always wear N-95 masks while working.<\/p>\n

What should I do to stay safe if I’m cleaning an area that might have rodents?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to CDC experts, here are the steps you should take<\/a> to clean areas that might have rodents and could expose you to hantavirus:<\/p>\n