June 12, 1996

FIRST ILLINOIS HANTAVIRUS CASE CONFIRMED

SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The Illinois Department of Public Health today announced that a northwestern Illinois man has died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the first Illinois case of the life-threatening illness, which is spread by infected rodents.

The man died in May at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wis., after a short illness. The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene identified evidence of hantavirus infection from a blood sample and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last week confirmed the test result. State and local public health officials are investigating to determine how the man became infected.

"This is a newly recognized disease that the CDC has indicated will cause isolated cases sporadically throughout the country," said Dr. John R. Lumpkin, state public health director. "People can take precautions to minimize the risk of becoming infected. These include avoiding contact with wild rodents, keeping pests from their homes and buildings through the use of rodent-proofing techniques and indoor pest control, and cleaning areas where you find signs of rodent infestation."

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a serious, often deadly respiratory disease, which may develop between five and 42 days after exposure to the virus. The primary symptom is difficulty breathing due a fluid build-up in the lungs. Other symptoms are similar to the flu -- fever; headache; abdominal, joint and lower back pain; and sometimes nausea and vomiting.

There have been 139 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome diagnosed in 25 states since May 1993, when the first cases were reported in the Southwest. There have been 70 deaths attributed to hantavirus.

Hantavirus is spread to people through breathing in air containing dust from an infected rodent's urine, saliva or droppings. It also can be contracted through direct contact with these rodent excretions and then touching your mouth or nose. A rodent's bite can also spread the virus. Hantavirus is not spread from person to person.

Most cases of hantavirus occur in rural areas where the deer mouse, the primary carrier of the virus, lives. Buildings, barns, garages, areas where rubbish or wood piles exist, or similar locations can serve as potential settings of hantavirus infection if such sites are inhabited by infected rodents and conditions favorable for transmission (dry, dusty areas contaminated with rodent excreta) exist.

The best prevention method is to avoid contact with rodents and to use diluted household bleach or products containing phenol 15 minutes before cleaning areas contaminated by rodents. To keep rodents out of a building, people should create an environment that does not attract them. This means denying rodents food, water, nesting sites and entry to the building, and keeping the grass cut short.

Illinois Department of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217-782-4977 Fax 217-782-3987 TTY 800-547-0466 Questions or Comments