Hantavirus scare! Panicking

[Hmp8982]

We cleaned an old farm house yesterday.. well it’s an old family farm house that was ransacked and trashed.. no one had lived in it for awhile. But we had to go in and clean it up after discovering it had been ransacked. We have been planning to sell soon as my father can’t keep up anymore. And has moved in with my brother.

Well there was a ton of mouse poop everywhere on everything. I had gloves on, but no mask. We didn’t vacuum it but we were throwing trash into piles and stirring up a lot of dust. It wasn’t til I got home I read about hantavirus and now I’m panicking. Terrified I’m going to get it. Even though I’m in Indiana and we have only had 4 cases since 1994. 2 of them were over 20 years ago, it the other 2 were 2015 and 2016. In a lab where people work with them in a university.

Please help me rationalize. Surely millions of people vacuum and sweep and are around this kind of thing and never get sick. I’m really struggling with this.

[Ink123]

I have had this scare twice this year. I am sorry you are worrying about it. To get the Hanatavirus is very very rare. You actually have to get the virus inside of your body through your mouth or nose from Mouse poop that is fresh. The virus only stays alive in the FRESH mouse poop or urine for a few hours, and also the mouse might not even be a carrier of the virus. Not many Mice are carriers of the virus, it is extremely rare, and people have more chance of being struck by lightning. So it is very very rare, not all mice carry the virus, also the virus is very weak and only lives in the mouse poop/ urine for a few hours. I'm sorry you are struggling with this. Health anxiety is horrible. I am sending you a hug.

[Hmp8982]

I have had this scare twice this year. I am sorry you are worrying about it. To get the Hanatavirus is very very rare. You actually have to get the virus inside of your body through your mouth or nose from Mouse poop that is fresh. The virus only stays alive in the FRESH mouse poop or urine for a few hours, and also the mouse might not even be a carrier of the virus. Not many Mice are carriers of the virus, it is extremely rare, and people have more chance of being struck by lightning. So it is very very rare, not all mice carry the virus, also the virus is very weak and only lives in the mouse poop/ urine for a few hours. I'm sorry you are struggling with this. Health anxiety is horrible. I am sending you a hug.

Thank you! I’m also very scared of all these old pictures we found in boxes and brought home to go through. I brought them in my house last night and there was mouse poop in the bottom of some of the boxes.. so now I brought it into my house with my family.. sigh. But I badly wanted to look through them.. so now they are back in my garage.. and I’m scared it’s in MY house..

I tell you.. I have. Lot of health fear but I’ve been managing it well..my husband is the one who said.. I can’t believe no one has gotten DISEASES from that around the house... and then I go from to .. I told him it’s his fault. He knows better than to trigger me. lol Because how many times do people clean up mouse poop and never get this.. it’s still so rare.??

---------- Post added at 19:21 ---------- Previous post was at 19:15 ----------

Also, would it only stay alive for a few hours, even inside in a dark, cold closed up area?

[Quack]

Hanta made the news mostly because its a new (and very deadly) disease found in North America. I've had the fear myself (always get some mice in the house once the weather gets cold) but am now convinced that there are more articles about it than there are cases. And you've pretty much come to that conclusion yourself...despite most humans dealing with mouse poop every year, there have been a handful of cases ever in Indiana. You're safe!

[Hmp8982]

Hanta made the news mostly because its a new (and very deadly) disease found in North America. I've had the fear myself (always get some mice in the house once the weather gets cold) but am now convinced that there are more articles about it than there are cases. And you've pretty much come to that conclusion yourself...despite most humans dealing with mouse poop every year, there have been a handful of cases ever in Indiana. You're safe!

Right! I’m sure thousands deal with bad cases every year in Indiana alone, vacuuming and sweeping and not thinking a second thought.. and don’t get sick. I hate irrational fears.

---------- Post added at 20:06 ---------- Previous post was at 20:05 ----------

I’m even more scared of the photos I need to go through. Because the boxes have it in them. I already brought some in last night and that makes me worry now my son will get it too... sigh.

---------- Post added at 22:52 ---------- Previous post was at 20:06 ----------

Now I’m a Little worried becausewhen we were there, we found a bucket where there was a lot of the droppings but it also smelled like their urine. It was so strong. I read the urine could give it to you too. I really hope you all are right that it will be okay. I’m trying not to worry as I want to enjoy Christmas.

[Hmp8982]

Now I’m worried because after we went through the pictures my husband vacuumed and could have stirred up more mouse stuff. Then he used the vacuum in our bedroom... :(

[Hmp8982]

I was worried about hantavirus about a week ago after cleaning an old farm house... I was finally feeling better. Then my husband tells me today that he cleaned mouse poop out of his desk drawer at work yesterday... all he used was a Clorox wipe and didn’t clean anything else. He says he did wash his hands after cleaning it. But he touched his phone, keyboard, cell phone and lots of other things.. he came home and has helped me make food, he helped me make lunch when he came home right after it happened.. he has touched so many things between then and now when he told me.. so now here I am.. freaking out again.. I could really use some reassurance that it will be okay.

I told my husband he should be more careful and wipe things down better.. but.. he just isn’t scared like I am so he probably won’t listen.. He thinks I’m crazy to worry about this.. especially since there’s been like 2 cases of hantavirus in Indiana since 1994... but sigh.. I was doing so well and here I am again..

[WiseMonkey]

This is highly, highly unlikely plus your husband washed his hands before handling any food. Contact with this virus is not from human to human.
I think your fears are overtaking your logical mind. Try to put it out of your mind and enjoy the New Year.

[Hmp8982]

This is highly, highly unlikely plus your husband washed his hands before handling any food. Contact with this virus is not from human to human.
I think your fears are overtaking your logical mind. Try to put it out of your mind and enjoy the New Year.

I’m sure I’m overthinking.. I hope so.. I wish he wouldn’t have told me.. he should have known better! Lol

You believe it will be fine even if he doesn’t go and clean his office very well? He won’t because he isn’t worried like I am..

[Scass]

I’m sure it’ll be fine. He washed his hands & used a wipe. That’s good hygiene already.


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