18-Year-Old Colorado Man Dies From Hantavirus...04/13/00
The Salt Lake Tribune

DENVER -- The year's first death from Hantavirus prompted state health officials Monday to warn against exposure. "I think the potential for exposure is probably year-round, but actual exposure seems to happen more in the spring, when people are opening up buildings that have been closed for the winter," said Dr. Ellen Mangione, director of disease control and epidemiology for the state health department.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued the alert in response to the death of an 18-year-old man from Costilla County in rural southern Colorado. The unidentified man died April 4 in an Albuquerque hospital.

The disease is fatal in about half the cases. The young man's death brings the state's death toll to 12 of 21 cases since 1985. Prevention is the key to avoiding Hantavirus because no effective treatment exists, said Dr. Richard Hoffman, the state's chief medical officer.

Hantavirus occurs in humans when they breathe dust or mist from contaminated deer mice feces, urine or saliva. "It's important for people to understand that deer mice are rural mice, and the Hantavirus cases we've had in Colorado have been in rural areas," said John Pape, a health department epidemiologist.

Symptoms typically appear within two to three weeks of exposure. Fever, muscle aches, headache and vomiting are initial symptoms, followed by coughing and difficulty in breathing as the lungs fill with fluid. Early hospitalization can be key, Hoffman said.

A medical study indicates that survivors of Hantavirus continue to show symptoms after they're cured, ranging from persistent fatigue to breathing problems, Mangione said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has suggested residents take precautions against Hantavirus. http://www.sltrib.com/04122000/nation_w/40673.htm