Virus that killed Hackman’s wife linked to California deaths

Article content

Three people died in a rural California village in recent weeks after a few weeks, local health officials said the rare infection of rodents killed Betsy Arakawa, wife of pianist and actor Gene Hackman in February.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Shan County public health officials said in a statement last week that the three victims were residents of Lake Mammoth.

Three virus cases were recorded early this year as infections were usually found in the spring or later in the summer, the statement said. Three dead people began to be sick in February.

“The number of mice in the Mammoth (probably elsewhere in the Sierra Mountains) is high. The increase in indoor mice increases the risk of hantavirus exposure,” said Tom Boo, a public health official in San County.

Although no further cases were found locally in the past month, Boo said he was still concerned about the case.

Article content

Article content

The Hanta virus was first detected in the United States about thirty years ago. In February, the infection attracted widespread attention after the death of Arakawa. That month, her body and Hackman were found in different rooms in Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to officials, Hackman may have died of a combination of high blood pressure and a widespread heart disease after his wife’s death. He has Alzheimer’s disease and may not realize his wife has passed away.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hantaviruses usually pass through contact with rodents, including through mouse and rat urine, feces, saliva, or in rare cases – bite or scratch.

People can get infected with the disease by breathing dust in rodent urine, saliva, or feces while cleaning. The CDC says it can develop into hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which may kill about 38% of people with respiratory symptoms.

Article content

Symptoms of infection are usually not transmitted to people and usually start to show up for one to eight weeks after the first contact with the virus.

Recommended videos

We apologize, but the video failed to load.

Play video

According to county health officials, hantavirus is rare but not rare, and deer mice, the only source of the virus in the region, are widely found in the eastern part of the Sierra Mountains. The statement said that since 1993, single county has recorded 27 cases of hantavirus, more than any other county in California.

According to the American Lung Association, the vast majority of cases (96%) found in the United States occur west of the Mississippi River.

Boo said there is no evidence that any of the three latest victims are engaged in behaviors related to exposure, such as cleaning poorly ventilated indoor areas or outbuildings with large amounts of mouse waste.

Local and state public health officials have found evidence of some mice in the workplace of the three deceased, which is not uncommon at this time of year in the area, and in one of their houses.

Health officials urge county residents and visitors to remain alert about signs of indoor rodent activity and to be cautious about waste.

Article content