***Breaking *** Gene Hackman likely died of cardiovascular disease and his wife of hantavirus

[Meowmee]

65. People get infected by rodents who have it

Either by inhalation of the virus from droppings/urine/saliva. or by direct contact with urine/droppings/saliva or by being bitten or scratched by a rodent who has it, which is less common. It apparently can take quite a while before it gets to the phase where you are symptomatic to the point where you would realize it is serious and it can then kill you quickly with respiratory syndrome or hemorrhagic fever.

Pet rats and mice can also have it. People who do pest removal are more at risk due to contact.

It is pretty rare though. I looked it up and there are some strains in NY it is not just in the West.

Here are links on Hantavirus.

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/index.html#:~:text=People%20get%20hantavirus%20from%20contact,rodent%2C%20but%20this%20is%20rare.



https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5109a1.htm#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20North%20America%2C%20the,in%201993%20(Figure%202).

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3840873/

Severity of the Virus and Disease:

"The severity of the disease varies depending on the virus causing the infection. Hantaan and Dobrava virus infections usually cause severe symptoms where 5-15% of cases are fatal. In contrast, Seoul, Saaremaa, and Puumala virus infections are usually more moderate with less than 1% dying from the disease. Complete recovery can take several weeks to months."

https://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-health-hub/diseases-spread-by-nuisance-wildlife/#:~:text=Unlike%20the%20plague%20or%20rabies,recognized%20in%20the%20United%20States.