Spring brings warm weather and increased outdoor activity. For some of us, spring cleaning and yard work are rites of spring. We encourage everyone to stay active during our warm-weather months; Taos is the ideal place to enjoy being outdoors. However, outdoor activity can increase our risk of animal-borne diseases. Three serious illnesses are of concern in our area. Hantavirus, plague, and West Nile Virus are potentially fatal animal-borne diseases that occur in our area.

Hantavirus is spread by infected rodents in their urine and droppings. Although rare, Hantavirus has a higher fatality rate than other animal-borne diseases. Symptoms begin with fever, chills and muscle aches. Other symptoms include headache, dizziness, cough, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting which last about 5 days. Most people are not diagnosed until about 7 days after infection when they begin to experience shortness of breath and rapid breathing. The disease can progress and cause a drop in blood pressure and increased fluid in the lungs requiring mechanical ventilation. Most fatal cases are due to decreased heart function which cannot be reversed. Because diagnosis is difficult and there is no specific treatment, prevention is the most important aspect of this disease. Eliminate or minimize contact with rodents at home, work, or campsite. Seal up holes in the home and storage areas, clean up food sources, and set traps to decrease infestation. If you suspect rodent infestation in an area, take the following precautions when cleaning up. Do not stir up dust. Wear latex or vinyl gloves. Spray the area with a dilute bleach solution of 1&1/2 cups of bleach in a gallon of water and allow it to soak for at least 5 minutes. Discard all waste in plastic garbage bags. Disinfect cleaning items after use. Clean and disinfect the whole area with bleach solution and wash hands with soap and water. A total of 465 cases of Hantavirus have been reported in the U.S. since 1993. New Mexico has the most cases reported with 73.

Plague is caused by a bacterium carried by rodent fleas. Antibiotics can effectively treat plague but if not treated it can be fatal. Most human cases in the U.S. occur in an area including northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado. Preventative measures include the same rodent infestation prevention measures described above, surveillance for plague activity such as sick or dead rodents, and treating pets for fleas once a week. Symptoms include a swollen and very tender lymph gland accompanied by fever, chills, headache, and extreme exhaustion. Early treatment with antibiotics is important.

West Nile Virus is spread by infected mosquitoes. About 80% of people infected will exhibit no symptoms, about 20% will have symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and rash that last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, and about 1 in 150 people will develop severe illness. Severe illness can cause high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. There is no specific treatment for WNV. Serious illness requires hospitalization, IV fluids and breathing support. Prevention measures include reducing mosquito populations by removing standing water, avoiding mosquitoes during hours of peak activity at dusk and dawn, and by wearing mosquito repellant when outdoors.

References: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/generalinfoindex.htm, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/plague/index.htm, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm.

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