MI Reports 1st Human Case Of Hantavirus In Washtenaw County Woman

LANSING, MI — Michigan's first confirmed cases of the hantavirus has been identified in a Washtenaw County woman, the state's health department announced Monday.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said it was investigating the state's first case of Sin Nombre hantavirus in an adult female who was recently hospitalized with a serious pulmonary illness from the virus, according to a news release.

The person was likely exposed when cleaning an unoccupied dwelling that contained signs of an active rodent infestation, the state said.

“HPS is caused by some strains of hantavirus and is a rare but severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease that can occur one to five weeks after a person has exposure to fresh urine, droppings or saliva from infected rodents,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan's chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS, said in a statement. “Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantavirus is at risk for HPS and healthcare providers with a suspect case of hantavirus should contact their local health department to report the case and discuss options for confirmatory testing.”

Hantavirus was first discovered to be responsible for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in people in the southwest United States in 1993. Hantavirus infections are associated with domestic, occupational or recreational activities that bring humans into contact with infected rodents, the state said. Most cases have been identified in adults and tend to occur in the spring and summer.

People become infected when freshly dried materials contaminated by rodent excreta are disturbed and inhaled, get into breaks in the skin or on mucous membranes or when ingesting contaminated food or water, the state said. Bites from rodents can also transmit hantavirus, but the highest risk of exposure takes place when entering or cleaning rodent-infested structures.

There are not any documented person-to-person cases of hantavirus transmission in the U.S., officials said.

Symptoms of HPS can be non-specific at first and include fever, chills, body aches, headache and gastro-intestinal signs such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. The illness can progress to include coughing and shortness of breath. HPS has a 40 percent fatality rate.

“We can prevent and reduce the risk of hantavirus infection by taking precautions and being alert to the possibility of it,” Washtenaw County Medical Director Dr. Juan Luis Marquez said. “Use rubber, latex, vinyl or nitrile gloves when cleaning areas with rodent infestations, ventilate areas for at least 30 minutes before working, and make sure to wet areas thoroughly with a disinfectant or chlorine solution before cleaning.”