What is hantavirus, which killed Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman's wife?

The droppings of certain types of mice and rats carry the hantavirus, which can infect humans through contaminated air. — Filepic

I was following the ghastly story about American actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. She apparently died of hantavirus – a mouse-spread disease. Are there a lot of diseases that can be spread by mice and rats? I am scared because there are rats in my garden and home.

Mice and rats can carry and spread hantavirus, salmonellosis, leptospirosis and lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM).

It is a bad thing to have mice or rats in your house.

I highly recommend that you hire a pest service to have them removed.

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a type of virus that spreads through the urine, poop or saliva of wild rodents.

You can be infected by it if you breathe in air that is contaminated with these droppings.

It is commoner in places like the United States, especially the state of California.

Not all mice or rats carry hantavirus.

They are only carried by deer mice, white-footed mice, rice rats and cotton rats.

In the US, people tend to close up some of their buildings and homes for the winter while they go to stay somewhere warmer.

When they return and open these buildings up, there may have been rats and mice that moved in while they were away.

So when they clean their buildings up, these droppings are stirred up and get into the air they breathe.

Is hantavirus common? How do I know if I have it?

No, it is extremely rare.

Once the hantavirus enters your body, it replicates in your lungs and causes your blood vessels to weaken and leak.

This in turn causes your lungs to be filled with blood.

You won’t be able to breathe properly.

Then the virus enters your heart and damages the heart muscles there.

The blood vessels in your heart also leak.

Your heart will not be able to pump properly.

Your body may go into shock.

If this happens, your other organs won’t get enough blood.

You may die.

That sounds terrible. Does all this happen very quickly?

Hantavirus can incubate in your body for up to two months.

The first symptoms may be a fever and chills.

This is all part of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).

Like any viral illness, you can have fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and dizziness.

Because your lungs are slowly filling up with blood, you may cough and have trouble breathing.

These symptoms may last from two to eight days.

Then it may become severe.

Your cough will get worse and you will have real trouble in breathing.

You have chest tightness.

This is a medical emergency, and you have to seek treatment at a hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department very fast.

Is there any treatment?

As with most viruses, there is no cure.

But you must get treated as soon as possible.

If you develop flu-like symptoms after being in contact with mouse or rat droppings, you must go see a doctor immediately.

You may have to be admitted to a hospital – this might even be to the intensive care unit (ICU).

There, you may be given oxygen, fluids, medicines to lower your blood pressure, ventilation, and even antiviral drugs like ribavirin.

If you survive the first few days of severe HPS, you should start feeling better in a few weeks.

What is salmonellosis?

Salmonella is a bacteria.

You can get infected by eating raw or undercooked meat and poultry, and drinking unpasteurised milk, but also from rats.

Even pet rats, mice, birds and reptiles can carry the Salmonella bacteria on their bodies.

It manifests mostly through the gut.

You start having diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting and headache.

Sometimes, you may even see blood in your faeces.

The infection can last from a few days to a week.

ALSO READ: Salmonella, a leading cause of food-borne outbreaks

What about leptospirosis?

This is an infection caused by the bacteria Leptospira.

You can get infected with this bacteria through your nose, mouth, eyes and cuts on your skin.

Infected animals like rats have droppings that can contain Leptospira.

Some people have flu-like symptoms, and others have no symptoms at all.

But if you have acute leptospirosis, you can have high fever, conjunctivitis, headache, chills, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain.

You can even have jaundice – a yellow discolouration of your skin and sclera (of the eye) due to the excessive bilirubin in the body.

Severe leptospirosis can start three to 10 days after this stage.

Then, you may cough up blood, have chest pain and trouble breathing, severe jaundice, blood in your urine, and red spots on your skin.

You have to be hospitalised immediately.

Luckily, there are antibiotics to treat this infection.

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What is LCM?

LCM is spread by rodents.

It is a disease caused by the LCM virus.

It infects your brain, spinal cord and surrounding cerebrospinal fluid.

Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email [e-mail]. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only, and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.