Hanatviruses can cause a serious, life threatening illness called Hantaviruses Pulmonary Syndrome (HSP) can be caught by breathing in the virus in airborne particles from urine, droppings or saliva of certain species of rodents.

Acute Hantavirus causes flu-like symptoms, including: fever (usually 101-104° F); body aches; gastro-intestinal distress; chills; followed by sudden onset of difficulty breathing and hypo-tension (low blood pressure). If you have recently (in the past 45 days) been near a rodent, their nest or droppings, and you develop any combination of these symptoms, you should contact your local health department or medical facility. The incubation period ( time from exposure to first symptom) of dangerous Hantavirus strains is typically from a few days to 6 weeks. Infection has never been clearly shown to occur from human-to-human, however, one case reported in 1997 seemed to suggest that it is a very rare possibility, via clinical contact. There is currently no known effective cure for HFRS or HPS. The best treatment available is "life support" in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU), until the person either gets well or dies.

NOTE: A sore throat, ear infection, or sinus infection have never been noted in any HPS case, therefore, these symptoms might help physicians rule out HPS.

Public education, rodent control and related clean-up, and disinfection are the most effective preventative measures.