Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with hantaviruses.  Early symptoms can include tiredness, fever, and muscle aches.  About half of all people with HPS also experience headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.  Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath. Patients might experience tightness in the chest, as the lungs fill with fluid.  HPS can be deadly. Thirty-eight percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.  Some patients develop a severe renal (kidney) syndrome. Recovery can take weeks to several months.

Infected rodents shed hantavirus in their urine, droppings, and saliva. Most HPS patients become infected by breathing air contaminated with dried rodent urine or droppings, such as when cleaning out a rodent-infested space. This most commonly occurs in small, confined spaces where there is little air circulation. To date, no cases of HPS have been reported in the United States in which the virus was transmitted from one person to another.

The hantaviruses that cause human illness in the United States are not known to be transmitted by any types of animals other than certain species of rodents. Dogs and cats are not known to carry hantavirus; however, they may bring infected rodents into contact with people if they catch such animals and carry them home.

Hantavirus Prevention Information

Avoid contact with all wild rodents, their droppings, and nesting materials. Store all food items securely in rodent-proof containers. Examine the outside of all buildings and seal any holes or other areas that would let rodents get inside. Before entering an enclosed area that may be infested with rodents, allow it to air out for at least 30 minutes. Surfaces that rodents may have contaminated with urine or droppings should be wetted with a dilute bleach solution before mopping up. Do not dry sweep or vacuum to clean potentially contaminated areas. Promptly dispose of all cleaning materials when done, and wash hands and clothes.

Please review the California Department of Public Health brochures below in English and Spanish for information on how to safely clean rodent-infested areas:

• Rodents and Hantavirus - English
• Rodents and Hantavirus - Spanish

Hantavirus Surveillance Data

Please click to view the Communicable Disease dashboard with local hantavirus data available in English and Spanish.

California data is available at the California Department of Public Health’s hantavirus website.

United States data is available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hantavirus website.

For More Information

CDC Hantavirus Website

CDPH Hantavirus Website

For Healthcare Providers

• CDC Clinical Overview of Hantavirus
• Medical providers must report all suspected cases of hantavirus to the County of Monterey Health Department’s Communicable Disease Unit (phone: 831-755-4521; fax: 831-754-6682). 

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