Colorado reported their third case of hantavirus in their state this year. Hantavirus is a hemorrhagic fever and can be deadly. Earlier in May, Colorado had one fatal case in Rio Grande county. Colorado typically has 2-6 cases each year.
Hantavirus was the disease that infected tourists to Yosemite National Park in 2012 that made headlines and triggered widespread notification to visitors to the Park who may have been exposed.
Hantavirus is carried by mice and can be inhaled when sweeping or shaking out mouse droppings. Public health authorities advise spraying droppings area with bleach before cleaning them yourself.
Hantavirus is not new, and according to Navajo oral histories, it has occurred cyclically over hundreds of years, and correlates with high deer mouse populations.
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