90-Second Read: Be mindful of Hantavirus when spring cleaning

With the ongoing concern around the Hantavirus outbreak that occurred on a cruise ship, which claimed the lives of three passengers and now sees four Canadian passengers isolating, Interior Health (IH) is urging people to take basic precautions. The World Health Organization on May 14 stressed that the risk to the general public is "low" even though the Andean strain of Hantavirus, found in several people who were on board the impacted cruise ship, can in rare cases be transmitted among humans. But with spring cleaning on many people's agenda IH is highlighting that you can get infected with Hantavirus when Hantaviruses from old rodent droppings and urine are stirred up into the air and then inhaled when sweeping and dusting.

Hantavirus is a potentially serious infection that is transmitted by some rodents, and in the Interior region in particular, the deer mouse. As IH notes there are different Hantaviruses around the world, but in BC/North American, it is primarily the Sin Nombre Virus which cannot be transmitted from one person to another. Risks can be highest when cleaning a shed, attic or cabin that has not been used for a while, or when working in areas where mice may live, such as barns.

Hantaviruses are rare, typically causing one severe case every year in the BC Interior although less severe cases likely go unnoticed and unreported, but can cause a very serious disease called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS for short). Staying safe while spring cleaning To stay safe during your spring-cleaning routine take some simple precautions to minimize the risk of being exposed. Anyone, healthy or not, can be at risk of HPS, IH notes.