New Mexico officials report hantavirus case in Taos County

SANTA FE – A northern New Mexico man in his 50s is in the hospital after contracting hantavirus.

The New Mexico Health Department says the Taos County man reported that he had cleaned a rodent-infested shed about three weeks before he began to feel sick.

Hantavirus is a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease that is transmitted by infected rodents through exposure to their urine, droppings or saliva. Hantavirus particles are small and light enough that they can be carried in the air and be inhaled by humans.

Early symptoms may look and feel like the flu or a stomach bug and include fever and muscle aches, possibly with chills, headache, nausea, vomiting.

Two of the three people who became infected in New Mexico last year died. All three of the victims were from McKinley County in western New Mexico.

Although there is no specific treatment for HPS, health officials say the chances for recovery are better if medical attention is sought early and the health care provider is told about the exposure to rodents or their droppings.