RENO, Nev. (AP) — Health officials in Nevada say a man in his 20s has died after being hospitalized because of recent exposure to rodent droppings.
The Washoe County Health District reported Tuesday that the cause of death was hantavirus, the first death from the disease in the county this year and the third since 2019.
Infected rodents can carry hantavirus and release it in their droppings, urine or saliva, which can then be transmitted to people breathing in the contaminated air or people who touch something contaminated and then touch their face.
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Officials say about 38% of all hantavirus cases are deadly.
