90-Second Read: Four Californians monitored for rare but potentially deadly Hantavirus

Four Californians are being monitored for Hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly virus spread to humans through contact with infected rodents.Hantavirus is m SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. Since 1980, 93 California residents have been diagnosed with Hantavirus. Even without confirmed local cases, data from the California Department of Public Health shows parts of Shasta and Tehama counties fall within areas where deer mice have tested positive for the Sin Nombre virus, the strain linked to Hantavirus in California.

Hantavirus is most commonly transmitted by breathing in particles from rodent urine, droppings or saliva. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 30 cases are reported nationwide each year. Since monitoring began in 1993, there have been 857 reported cases in the United States, with about one-third ending in death.

In the Northstate, Modoc County has reported one case between 1980 and 2024. Plumas County has reported three cases, and Sierra County has reported two. We see them in different areas, particularly mountainous regions.