Resources We Trust Mayo Clinic: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Cleveland Clinic: Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome World Health Organization: Hantavirus Cluster Linked to Cruise Ship Travel, Multi-Country National Park Service: Hantavirus Wyoming Department of Health: Prevent Hantavirus During Spring Cleaning
What Locations Pose the Greatest Hantavirus Risk? What Locations Pose the Greatest Risk? Hantavirus most often infects people in areas where wildlife habitats meet human development. In these “edge ecosystems,” residents may have buildings, structures, and spaces in the home where rodents frequent.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629d4d9ed19-2af3-4d83-b2d0-13574d2b4613 Mayo Clinic says these locations include:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629999f8146-4d7b-4198-ace3-86bf63dd20dc Farm buildings (such as barns, grain silos, and stables) Infrequently used buildings, such as storage sheds Campers and seasonal cabins Campsites or hiking shelters Attics or basements (and little-used garages or workshops) Construction sites
Where Is Hantavirus Risk Highest in the U.S.? Where Is Risk Highest in the U.S.? Your chances of getting hantavirus largely depends on where you live. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 94 percent of cases occur west of the Mississippi. In 1993, an outbreak erupted in the Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet. In this instance, 53 persons developed a complication from hantavirus infection known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, leading to 32 deaths.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299c08a0cd-0dfb-4947-9a39-581462dfc3a9e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762981a1fddb-2728-4e70-be9b-53fefa3c652a Typically, humans get hantavirus by breathing in infected particles from rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory note that drier air in the West likely allows the virus to persist in the environment and aerosolize (become airborne) rather than get washed away into storm drains, as is more likely in the wetter eastern United States.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976292f90ef13-1182-4c83-85c5-4d3fc42e5653 Wild rodent populations that carry the hantavirus thrive in certain rural hot spots in these western regions. These carriers include the deer mouse, white-footed mouse, and cotton mouse.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762987fe050b-2d6f-4fd5-878d-35a067ff8f8a “In the U.S, the deer mouse is the primary carrier of the hantavirus most associated with human illness, although they carry the virus without becoming sick themselves,” says Kelly Cawcutt, MD , an associate professor in the division of infectious diseases and pulmonary and critical care medicine at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. “The more common house mice and urban rats are not known to carry the strains typically linked to severe hantavirus disease.” Because the cruise in the latest outbreak originated in Argentina, some health officials suspect that the source of infections may have been the long-tailed pygmy rice rat, which is a primary carrier for the Andes hantavirus variant in South America. This variant is not found in North America and is the only kind associated with human to human transmission, which appears to have occurred on the cruise ship.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629e84d2d64-7534-4496-ad5c-20e4794b609b
How to Recognize the Symptoms of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) Symptoms The hantavirus in the United States can cause very deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a condition that damages tiny blood vessels, causing them to leak fluid. This rapid fluid buildup fills the lungs and triggers severe, life-threatening breathing difficulties, according to Mayo Clinic.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629b6b2cffb-5a44-4293-aee2-86835b3300f6 “Because early symptoms are like the flu and they may not appear until weeks after exposure, hantavirus can sometimes be hard to diagnose,” says Saira Shahab, MD, an infectious-disease specialist at Episcopal Health Services in Far Rockaway, New York. If you have been in an environment that might have rodent contamination, symptoms that may appear first include fever, fatigue, and muscle aches (in thighs, hips, and back). Later signs that typically appear 4 to 10 days after early symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest as lungs fill with fluid. When to See a Doctor “Anyone with fever, severe fatigue, or worsening breathing symptoms after potential rodent exposure should seek medical evaluation promptly — especially if shortness of breath develops,” says Dr. Cawcutt. She adds that although there is no specific cure or antiviral treatment for hantavirus, early medical care and supportive treatment can significantly improve outcomes.
Keep Pets Away From Rodent Habitats Keep Pets Away From Rodent Habitats While dogs and cats are not known to become infected with hantavirus in the United States, pets could potentially bring infected rodents into the home.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a592b897-38bd-4b6c-a1aa-e985e5e46309 “There is currently no strong evidence that dogs or cats commonly transmit hantavirus directly to humans, but they can potentially carry contaminated rodent material on their fur, paws, or in their mouths after contact with rodents or rodent nesting areas, so indirect exposure is theoretically possible,” says Gary Richter, DVM , the medical director of Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, California, and the founder of Ultimate Pet Nutrition. If you suspect your dog or cat has been near an area known for rodents, Dr. Richter suggests washing your hands thoroughly after touching the pet, wiping or bathing the pet if you suspect contamination, and avoiding close face-to-face contact with your pet until after a good cleaning.
A deadly hantavirus outbreak at sea — the first ever documented on a cruise ship — has focused the world’s attention on this illness spread by mice and rats.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a587032c-db6b-4eb2-ad30-b7c9e9a6b77a But the threat of hantavirus doesn’t typically involve faraway travel. Instead, it may exist a lot closer to home. This kind of exposure likely led to the death of the concert pianist Betsy Arakawa , the wife of actor Gene Hackman, in 2025 at the couple’s property in New Mexico. The state’s department of public health indicated that the compound had eight outbuildings with signs of rodent infestation.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762934306bb0-83dd-4b94-a6cb-5f77aa650d35 Hantavirus disease in humans is rare, with fewer than 1,000 reported cases in the United States from 1993 to 2023. But about one-third of those infections were fatal.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976290de5a457-01d8-4fdb-bf0f-5c63d34d70d8 The best way to avoid hantavirus is to know how most infections typically begin and take the right precautions to avoid exposure.
Safety Tips for Campers and Hikers Safety Tips for Campers and Hikers When heading into the wilderness, hikers and campers may encounter possible hantavirus hazards. The Washington State Department of Health suggests following these tips to lower the risk of infection:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762915ad3e53-e072-4a6f-9286-85a1940c1ca3 Avoid coming into contact with rodents and rodent burrows or disturbing dens. Air out cabins and shelters, check for signs of rodent infestation, and clean according to the instructions above. Do not pitch tents or place sleeping bags near rodent droppings or burrows. If possible, do not sleep on the bare ground. Use tents with floors or a ground cloth. Keep food in rodent-proof containers. Handle trash according to site restrictions and keep it in rodent-proof containers until disposed of.
Safe Cleaning: Ventilate, Soak, Disinfect, and Wear Protective Gear Safe Cleaning Spring cleaning can be an especially high-risk time for hantavirus infection. “Cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents may be present can increase the likelihood of encountering these contaminated materials,” says Mara Jana Broadhurst, MD, PhD, the director of the Infectious Diseases Diagnostics & Biopreparedness Council at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and a member of the College of American Pathologists’ microbiology committee “When these environments are disturbed, particles from droppings or nesting materials can become airborne, which increases the risk of exposure,” she notes. That’s why public health officials stress taking this careful step-by-step approach when cleaning potentially contaminated areas:e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ae404f48-6c0e-4f8b-a2c0-9d46fda747c4e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762965caebdc-21c3-4622-90eb-c537d228e1dd Air out enclosed spaces. Open doors and windows and make sure the space is well ventilated for at least 30 minutes before starting to clean. Don’t stir up dust in contaminated areas. Vacuuming and sweeping can cause dry infected particles to fill the air and become easily inhaled. Wear protection. Put on rubber gloves and wear an N95 mask. Use a “wet” approach. Spray and wet down droppings, urine, and other contaminated materials with a 10 percent bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) and let this soak for 10 minutes. This method helps keep infected particles from becoming airborne, and bleach is highly effective for inactivating the virus. Clean up and dispose. Wipe up possible contaminated residue with paper towels, rags, or other disposable materials, and place waste (along with disposable gloves) into a double plastic bag and into the garbage. Wash hands after removing gloves. Use soap and warm water to clean your hands.
The Takeaway The hantavirus outbreak of the spring 2026 is the first aboard a cruise ship. Infections in the United States usually occur in rural areas west of the Mississippi River where specific rodents carry the virus. Although rare, the virus can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is often fatal. People in high-risk areas can take measures to rodent-proof homes and other structures on their property, such as blocking potential entry points for rodents and storing food in secure containers. Cleaning potentially contaminated areas must be done with great care — avoiding “dry” methods such as sweeping (which can cause infected particles to become airborne) and opting for “wet” approaches to tamp down and eliminate pathogens.
Rodent-Proofing Your Home and Property Rodent-Proofing Your Home Here are a few basic tips from the CDC on how you can help drastically reduce the chances of hantavirus exposure.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629c94b6b3e-bb5b-492d-8cb6-5cc70c9262ab Sealing Completely block any holes or gaps in a building — mice can fit through a space the diameter of a pencil. Store food in thick plastic, glass, or metal containers with tight lids. Keep garbage in thick plastic or metal containers with tight lids. Trapping Use rodent snap traps. Place them in areas near evidence of rodent activity but where humans or pets won’t trigger them, such as behind the oven or refrigerator. Use poison baits. Place trays or bait stations near rodent activity but out of reach of children or pets. Cleaning Clear any food and dirty dishes right away. Eliminate any trace of rodent droppings, urine, or nesting materials.