Resources for Preventing Hantavirus Highlighted by California Department of Public Health

Information and resources about preventing hantavirus infection in the workplace are the focus of the Feb. 27 issue of Occupational Health Watch, the e-newsletter of the Occupational Health Branch of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The virus made headlines the following week, when officials in New Mexico announced hantavirus infection as the cause of death of classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, actor Gene Hackman’s wife.

According to CDPH, workers whose tasks may expose them to rodents or rodent-infested areas could be at risk for exposure to hantavirus, which can cause a rare, potentially deadly lung disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. In the western U.S., including California, deer mice infected with Sin Nombre virus, a type of hantavirus, are of particular concern. The virus spreads through contact with infected rodents, especially their urine, droppings, and saliva, and people can become infected by breathing air containing stirred-up particles of hantavirus from nests and droppings in areas where rodents have nested.

“The chances of this happening increase when opening or cleaning buildings in rural areas that have been closed for the winter where deer mice have entered, or for people working, playing, or living in closed spaces where mice are present,” CDPH explains.

Workers and others who must enter or inspect buildings, vehicles, and other spaces that have been closed for a while should air out the spaces for at least 30 minutes, leaving the area during that time, Occupational Health Watch states. CDPH reminds individuals to open both the hood and the trunk when airing out a vehicle. Personal protective equipment for cleaning areas infested by rodents should include rubber or plastic gloves and protective eyewear, and respiratory protection may be necessary for heavy infestations. Only wet-cleaning methods should be used to clean these spaces to avoid stirring up hantavirus in the air, CDPH says.

The department’s Hantavirus Occupational Health Toolkit provides further information regarding how to prevent hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the workplace, how to identify and safely clean rodent-infested areas, how to prepare seasonally used buildings for closure, and how to safely open spaces to prevent exposure to hantavirus. The toolkit is intended for use by employers and workers as well as those who live in or manage properties where infected rodents may be present.

CDC also has webpages with information about hantavirus and controlling wild rodent infestations.

Related: Read about controlling plant and animal hazards in SynergistNOW.