A woman in Deschutes County died recently of a rare, untreatable virus that is passed to humans through contact with rodent droppings.

Only 23 people have contracted hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Oregon since 1993, or less than one a year, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Six cases were in Deschutes County, while the rest were mostly clustered in eastern and southern Oregon. Multnomah County recorded two cases and Washington County had one.

The Bend Bulletin reports that the 67-year-old Redmond victim had gone into a loft to clean it with a Shop-Vac, which stirred the hantavirus into the air.

Most people don't realize they are at risk of hantavirus when they clean up the urine, feces or nests of mice or rats. But hantavirus can be breathed in during that process, especially if those droppings are vacuumed or disturbed in a way that sends the virus into the air.

People can also contract the virus if they touch infected materials and then their eyes, nose or mouth.

Hantavirus cannot be passed between humans or from pets to humans.

Symptoms can show up as early as one week from exposure to as late as six. Someone infected might feel tired; dizzy; get a fever and chills; have muscle aches, headaches, nausea, stomach pain, or vomit and cough. As the disease gets worse, the symptoms progress to shortness of breath or severe difficulty breathing.

The Deschutes County public health office has warned residents to take precautions when around rodents, especially deer mice, which are the most likely carriers of hantavirus.

To keep homes, workplaces, cabins and campsites free of rodents, the county recommends:

blocking openings that might let rodents in

storing food, water and garbage in containers with tightly fitted lids

placing mousetraps throughout buildings

keeping your yard clean

stacking woodpiles away from buildings

When cleaning and disinfecting an area with rodent droppings:

Wear rubber or plastic gloves. If you are cleaning in a confined space, wear a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered respirator.

Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings. This will release particles into the air, which you could then breathe in.

Spray droppings with a household disinfectant or a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Let the area soak for 10 minutes to make sure any virus within the droppings will be killed.

Wipe up wet droppings with paper towels or a wet mop if dealing with a large area.

Wash gloves in disinfectant and hot soapy water before taking them off. Afterwards, wash your hands thoroughly.

If a wet mop was used to clean the area, use disinfectant and hot soapy water to clean the mop.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger