(NEXSTAR) — A third person in the remote California town of Mammoth Lakes has died of hantavirus, the sometimes-fatal illness that authorities say Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died of earlier this year.
In a statement shared Thursday, Mono County Health & Human Services confirmed that a young adult had died from the illness.
“We don’t have a clear sense of where this young adult may have contracted the virus,” Dr. Tom Boo, the county’s public health officer said. “The home had no evidence of mouse activity. We observed some mice in the workplace, which is not unusual for indoor spaces this time of year in Mammoth Lakes. We haven’t identified any other activities in the weeks before illness that would have increased this person’s exposure to mice or their droppings.”
Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with rodents or their urine or feces. It does not spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.
An infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening.
“It really starts like the flu: body aches, feeling poorly overall,” said Dr. Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu.”
The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the CDC. All three deaths in Mono County were connect...
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