Hantavirus Concerns in Arizona as Fatalities Occur

Arizona public health officials have seen an increase in hantavirus cases—a virus spread by rodents to humans—from the beginning of the year to July 1. Seven human cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) have been confirmed, resulting in three deaths in Arizona.

HPS is a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory illness caused by the infection with hantaviruses. Hantavirus is spread primarily from the deer mouse to people through airborne transmission from viral droplets spread through handling or stirring up materials contaminated with rodent urine, saliva, and feces. Hantavirus is not spread person-to-person. Symptoms of the illness can range from fever, headache, and muscle aches to severe difficulty in breathing and, in some cases, death.

In the past 15 months, three hantavirus cases have been reported in Arizona’s Coconino County alone— resulting in two deaths. Previously, Coconino County, which is home to Grand Canyon National Park and Sedona, Arizona, last reported a hantavirus case in 2016.

HPS is not limited to one geographic location though and can be present in many areas in the West. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracked 850 cases of hantavirus disease in western states from 1993 to 2021.