Soon after, the New Mexico officials announced that the Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, concerns and questions have been raised about the deadly disease.
According to CNN, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a rare and deadly illness that is transmitted from animals,rodentss, to people.
The infection commonly spread in the US through the deer mouse, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings, and saliva. However, the virus does not spread from person to person.
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CDC data revealed that between 1993 and 2022, 834 cases of the syndrome were reported in the US, mainly in the Western states.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert, said that New Mexico reported most of the cases of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and around 41% of the people died from the disease.
As there are not enough treatments for the disease, it is recommended to take precautionary steps and avoid contact with the rodents.
Schaffner suggested, “If it’s very dusty, and they get in and are cleaning up around where the contaminated environment is, they can cause little clouds of dust and then inhale those viral particles.”
Symptoms
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the beginning causes flu-like symptoms for three to six days, which can occasionally progress to shortness of breath, heart, and lung failure.
Some common symptoms of the disease include:
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Cough
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Chills
• Abdominal pain
Notably, after the initial phase of the disease, it quickly becomes life-threatening, and if not treated, a person could die as quickly as within 24 to 48 hours after the release of fluids.
Related: Gene Hackman, wife’s death case takes new twist after mysterious finding
