Mice Near Beaumont Test Positive for Hantavirus; County Issues Health Reminder

BEAUMONT, CA – Mice collected from a nature preserve west of Beaumont tested positive for hantavirus, prompting Riverside County health officials to remind residents to take precautions in places inhabited by rodents.

According to the Department of Environmental Health, two deer mice snared last month in the Norton Younglove Preserve, between San Timoteo Canyon Road and state Route 60, were confirmed to be carriers of the virus.

The pathogen can lead to a severe and potentially fatal respiratory infection in humans called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS.

County officials stopped short of issuing a health alert, noting that the find was not unusual. Nine other mice netted in the same area did not test positive.

Between 2006 and 2016, roughly 10 percent of rodents collected in Riverside County were found to be hantavirus carriers, according to health officials.

"Hantavirus can be a serious, even deadly disease when infectious material like mouse droppings and urine are inhaled," said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, the county's public health officer. "Taking simple precautions can greatly reduce your risk."

According to DEH spokeswoman Dotti Merki, mice do not exhibit symptoms of being sick, making identification of infected creatures difficult.

Merki advised residents to avoid stirring up dust and debris when cleaning spaces where rodents have left droppings and to follow these recommendations:

• -- ventilate rodent-infested places the night before cleaning them;
• -- apply household disinfectants liberally in rodent nesting areas;
• -- use rubber gloves while cleaning;
• -- use a mop or sponge, not a vacuum cleaner or broom, to clean;
• -- double-bag dead rodents and the waste cleared out of infested areas; and
• -- wash hands with gloves still on, then wash again after removing them.

Warning signs of HPS include headache, fever, muscle aches, vomiting and abdominal pain. If untreated, respiratory failure can ensue.

According to the California Department of Public Health, 59 human hantavirus cases were reported in California between February 1980 and December 2015, but none were in Riverside County.

One of the worst-known cases of an outbreak occurred in the Four Corners region of the desert southwest in 1993. More than 30 people died over the course of a year.

Anyone with questions or concerns can contact the Department of Environmental Health at (951) 766-9454.

ore information is also available here: www.rivcoeh.org .

• ALSO SEE: Riverside County's First Flu-Related Death of the Season is a Child

--City News Service/Morguefile image