Watch For Rodent Poop During Spring Cleaning: King County

ISSAQUAH, WA - With temperatures getting warmer, you might be inspired to do a little spring cleaning this week. If you do, King County health officials are reminding you to be wary of rodent droppings, which can harbor a potentially deadly respiratory virus.

In 2017, three people in King County contracted the relatively rare hantavirus. An Issaquah man in his 30s died in February 2017 of the virus, and health officials said at the time he had a rodent infestation around his home. A woman from Redmond and a woman from Issaquah survived their bouts with hantavirus that year.

"Some mice (deer mice, specifically) can carry hantavirus in their urine and droppings. This virus is rare, but can be potentially deadly in humans. So, if you are doing your annual spring cleaning and notice signs of infestation, take caution when cleaning it up," King County wrote in a recent blog post.

Humans contract hantavirus by breathing in particles of deer mouse feces and urine. The disease tends to spread easier in arid climates, like in Eastern Washington, because virus particles can travel through the air more easily.

The hantavirus cases in 2017 were the first after a 14-year absence in King County. Washington is one of the states with the highest occurrences of hantavirus, however. There were 46 cases statewide between 1993 and 2016, the fifth highest in the U.S.

Head here for a list of tips for cleaning in areas where rodents have been from King County Public Health.