Rare Virus May Have Killed Belmont Worker: State Health Officials

New York health officials say that the death of a worker at Belmont Park earlier this month may have been caused by the rare hantavirus, but stressed that the public does not need to fear catching the disease.

The state Department of Health announced on Friday that it suspected the cause of death of Belmont backstretch employee may have been caused by the hantavirus, which is transmitted through the droppings of infected rodents. It is not transmitted person to person.

The employee, whose name is being withheld, was found unconscious on June 1 outside a housing unit in the Belmont backstretch, where they lived. They were taken to a hospital and died on June 6. Specimes have already been sent to the Center for Disease Control for testing. Only five people in New York have contracted hantavirus since it started being tracked in 1993.

Most people contract hantavirus when they inhale infected rodent droppings, usually in confined areas. DOH and CDC personnel are already inspecting residences at Belmont and interviewing backstretch workers. The DOH says that its preliminary investigation has revealed no other cases. Out of caution, the New York Racing Association has relocated all Belmont employees while remediation takes place, and will overhaul its rodent control practices.

Symptoms of the hantavirus usually appear two to four weeks from infection, and initially are general and flu-like: fever; headache; abdominal, joint and back pain; and sometimes nausea and vomiting. The main symptom of the disease is difficulty breathing, which is caused by fluid building up in the lungs, which can quickly progress to an inability to breath. Those infected may die of respiratory failure or shock.

Photo courtesy Gov. Cuomo's Office