Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection, officials in New Mexico announced Friday (Mar 7).
Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with rodents or their urine or faeces. It does not spread between people.
The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centers For Disease Control And Prevention. The agency began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region – the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
The vast majority of US cases since then have been in western states, especially the southwest. Between 1993 and 2022, there were 864 reported US cases. New Mexico had the highest number over that time, at 122, followed by Colorado at 119.
Symptoms start one to eight weeks after exposure, and initially can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, according to the CDC. As the disease progresses, symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid. About a third of people who develop respiratory symptoms from the disease can die, the CDC says.
The best way to avoid the germ is to minimise contact with rodents and their droppings.
