By Nathan Barney
nathan@newsroom.byu.edu
Another case of the hantavirus has appeared in Utah, affecting the son of its last victim.
Chris Dimick, 23, of Price, is in the LDS Hospital intensive care unit in critical condition after being admitted to the hospital late June 2, said Richard Nash of LDS Hospital public relations.
Nash declined to comment further at the request of the Dimick family.
Dimick's mother, Cathleen Dimick, 47, died from the hantavirus on May 30 of this year.
Her case was the fourteenth confirmed case of the disease in Utah since tracking began in 1993.
There have only been five deaths attributed to he hantavirus in Utah since 1993.
The hantavirus causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a viral infection of the lungs.
Symptoms are like those of the flu, including fever, headaches, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. Those exposed complain of difficult breathing in the early stages of the disease.
David Jackson, an epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, said there is not a cure for the disease but hospitals are able to provide supportive care.
Most patients need to be put on a respirator to facilitate breathing. This support helps the body fight the disease.
The virus is transmitted through rodent droppings and urine and is most dangerous when in an enclosed area such as a home, cabin or office. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the disease has also been transmitted through rodent bites.
While deer mice are the most common carriers of the virus officials warn that other rodents may also carry the disease.
Jackson said the virus has a 36 percent mortality rate in Utah. This is lower than the 40 percent national rate. The CDC said the mortality rate is as high as 60 percent in some areas.
Those exposed to the virus may show symptoms as early as four days after exposure but it could take as long as six weeks before symptoms appear. One to two weeks is the most common incubation period, Jackson said.
A recent study conducted by the state's Department of Health shows as many as one in four wild mice in Utah were found to be carriers of the disease. Jackson said people should assume all wild rodents are carriers of the virus.
The CDC said the virus cannot be spread through insect bites and that travel to all areas where the disease has been reported is safe. Campers and hikers are at a very low risk of exposure as long as they stay away from mice colonies and avoid areas where they see mice droppings. Care should be taken when staying in cabins where mice may have been or that have been closed for an extended period of time.
'I think clean-up is a very important issue,' Jackson said, but care should be taken when cleaning up after mice.
Rooms that have been sealed should be aired out for at least 30 minutes before being entered. Latex gloves should be worn and all droppings and urine should be disinfected with ammonia, a commercial disinfectant like Lysol, or with a 10 percent bleach solution. All droppings and trapped mice should be double bagged for disposal.
Homes should have spring-loaded snap traps at all times. Snap traps are used to kill the mice so they can't spread the disease any further.
Jackson said pet owners do not have to worry about their cats carrying the virus. The virus does not affect cats and the virus cannot be passed from cats to humans.
If a cat has a mouse in its mouth owners should use care when disposing of the mouse making sure to wear gloves and to put it in a double bag for disposal.