A mouse trapped in North County July 30 has tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus
The wild harvest mouse was living near Agua Hedionda Lagoon, a popular site for outdoor activities like kayaking and hiking.
The San Diego Department of Environmental Health announced the positive test result Tuesday as a way to warn residents about the threat of hantavirus.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses that infect rodents and can be deadly to humans, when cleaning or sweeping where infected mice have nested.
Hantavirus can also be contracted by inhaling infected rodent droppings.
It’s rare for humans to contract hantavirus as long as wild rodents stay in the wild and don’t creep into garages, sheds, homes and cabins, health officials said.
Here’s how you can protect yourself, according to San Diego health officials:
- Seal up all external holes in homes, garages and sheds larger than a dime to keep rodents from getting in.
- Eliminate rodent infestations immediately.
- Avoid rodent-infested areas and don’t stir up dust or materials that may be contaminated with rodent droppings and urine.
- Clean up rodent droppings and urine using a wet cleaning method.
