Rodent with hantavirus captured in Chula Vista

A mouse-like rodent called a vole that was captured Dec. 5 in a rural part of Chula Vista has tested positive for the hantavirus — the first detection of the potentially deadly disease in this county this year.

Health officials announced the discovery on Friday and reminded residents to be particularly careful when around wild rodents or their waste.

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses, mainly spread by rodents, that can cause serious diseases in humans. One of the more notable is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory sickness with no cure.

People are rarely exposed to hantavirus because rodents tend to avoid humans. However, people can contract the virus while cleaning rodent waste or removing rodent carcasses.

That’s because the animals shed the virus in their urine, feces and saliva. When that matter dries, people can unknowingly stir it into the air and breath it in.

County officials recommend people avoid sweeping or vacuuming if they find dead rodents, rodent nests or other signs of the animals in their homes. Instead, residents should put on rubber gloves, soak any dead rodents or waste in disinfectant and clean with a sponge or mop. Make sure to ventilate the area while cleaning, county officials said.

Any rodent waste should be placed into plastic bags and discarded in the trash, and cleaning supplies should be soaked in disinfectant. Hands should then be thoroughly washed.

People can further avoid exposure by sealing up any external holes that are larger than a dime in their homes, garages and sheds. All rodent infestations should be taken care of immediately using appropriate cleaning methods, county officials said.

Although hantavirus infections are rare, fatality rates are high. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 816 people across the country caught the virus from 1993 through 2019. About a third of those people died. The last human case to occur in San Diego County happened in 2004, and the person survived, county officials said.