Anxiety about hantavirus

[megsi99]

I cleaned out a couple of bird houses today and there was a mouse in one of them. Now I’m super anxious about hantavirus. I’m assuming it’s good that I was outside and it was windy, plus it only took a couple of minutes to clean both out. But I’m still soooo anxious. I live in Michigan, and we’ve only had one case (last year). Anyone else do something similar and not get hantavirus?! 😩

[nomorepanic]

I have never heard of anyone getting it ever.

I think you are worrying over nothing here.

[ErinKC]

Hantavirus is extraordinarily rare and, like you said, you were outside. The people who get this are clearing out massively cluttered, dirty, and poorly ventilated areas - but even among those people only a tiny, tiny percentage of people actually get it. Hanta is one of those perfect health anxiety worries because of its seriousness and the vagueness of symptoms. The only people I’ve ever heard of worrying about hanta are those with anxiety. You’re fine.

[kyllikki]

Hanta was one of my very first HA worries too... at age 14.

It's very rare. It's also now way more survivable! Previously, it was deadly because it was hard to diagnose -- it causes exactly the sort of respiratory distress as COVID and in exactly the same extended time frame.
(In fact, I'd bet dollars to donuts that research advances from COVID will make hanta more survivable.)

Already, in fact, case fatality ratios have fallen from the 50% range when SNV and hanta were first discovered in the mid 1990s, down to ~25% in the hardest hit areas (...like Argentina, where it is endemic.)
That's really impressive considering the rarity of infection, and it speaks to the fact that if you start feeling awful and say "I was exposed to mouse poo," you'd get an answer really fast... and hence, probably recover.

Really, if you live outside the 4 Corners States (where the vast majority of cases are reported), you're almost certainly fine.

[ErinKC]

Hanta was one of my very first HA worries too... at age 14.

It's very rare. It's also now way more survivable! Previously, it was deadly because it was hard to diagnose -- it causes exactly the sort of respiratory distress as COVID and in exactly the same extended time frame.
(In fact, I'd bet dollars to donuts that research advances from COVID will make hanta more survivable.)

Already, in fact, case fatality ratios have fallen from the 50% range when SNV and hanta were first discovered in the mid 1990s, down to ~25% in the hardest hit areas (...like Argentina, where it is endemic.)
That's really impressive considering the rarity of infection, and it speaks to the fact that if you start feeling awful and say "I was exposed to mouse poo," you'd get an answer really fast... and hence, probably recover.

Really, if you live outside the 4 Corners States (where the vast majority of cases are reported), you're almost certainly fine.

That is so interesting! I often joke that one of the benefits of health anxiety is becoming an expert on the strangest things. When a friend has a medical concern I'll often say, "Well, I'm not a doctor, but I am a hypochondriac" before giving my "professional opinion."

My greatest area of expertise is botulism and food safety!

[kyllikki]

One of the only benefits of this terrible affliction (HA) is that when I cross something off my "list of worries" I can usually recall WHY and am happy to share the rational news, lolol.

Also fascinating: Hantaviruses and SNV (one of the viruses that causes hanta pulmonary syndrome) skyrocket when very specific weather conditions are met during a very specific time of year in the Southwest USA -- specifically, rain at a very specific time in the spring that causes a lot of food to be available to rodents, who then breed more rodents, making hanta exposure to humans more likely. In fact, I think I recall that that's how it was "discovered" in the 1990s. And even so! It's extremely rare!!!

Anyway, cross this off your list, megsi, it's not nearly deadly or common enough to be worth worrying about.

[Sar89]

I was brought up in a hoarders house. With a very active infestation of rats.. even that cats where scared of them 🤣 I’m talking running across the kitchen sides. Chewing open cereal boxes. Even bold enough to eat out of cat bowls. I never got this virus neither did any of my other siblings. Don’t worry