Researchers found nearly 30% of rodents they researched showed evidence of past infection of Hantavirus, and ten percent were actively infected.
PULLMAN, Wash. — Sometimes being proactive is better than being reactive. That’s the case for Pilar Fernandez.
Fernandez is a researcher at Washington State University’s (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine who helped release a study that found Sun Nombre Virus, a type of Hantavirus, may be more widespread in different types of rodents across the Pacific Northwest (PNW).
Researchers found nearly 30% of rodents they researched showed evidence of past infection, and ten percent were actively infected.
While rodent-to-rodent infection is common, human infection remains rare. Still, that leaves Fernandez wanting to learn more.
“What are those opportunities that allows them to jump between species to access the human population?” Fernandez said.
That question comes as a different strain of Hantavirus that can transmit from human-to-human, known as the Andes virus, which made headlines earlier this months.
With that in mind, Spokane County Health Officer Francisco Velasquez doesn’t want the general population to worry about getting the Andes virus. He says the way it transmits is specific.
“It’s not a casual thing that if I see you today, shake your hand,” Velasquez said. “That’s not the way it happens. It has to be longer and closer for that transmission to occur.”
He says Hantavirus and it’s strains are known among health officials, and the county occasionally sees a case from time to time.
“The person can be in critical condition, and that’s why we ask people to, if they think they have been exposed, contact your provider,” said Velasquez.
He also advises people who’ve come into contact with rats, including their feces or urine, to wet those areas down with a solution of bleach, while wearing a mask and long sleeves to limit exposure.
“The risk is very low, and the risk of the overall risk of general population is extremely low,” Velasquez said.
Still, Velasquez and Fernandez say keeping tabs on what we know is best as more information becomes available.
“We don’t want to cause panic,” said Fernandez. “This is not the intention when we study these diseases at all, but just ignoring them doesn’t mean that they’re going to go away.”
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