A Tooele County man hospitalized since June 30 after being infected with the often-lethal hantavirus has been released from the hospital.
The 67-year-old man, whose name has not been released, had spent more than a month in the intensive-care unit suffering from respiratory failure. His condition was upgraded from serious to fair last week, and he was released Saturday, said LDS Hospital spokesman Jess Gomez.The man apparently contracted the rodent-borne virus while cleaning out a shed last June. Several days later, he contracted the flu-like symptoms that mark the onset of the disease and went into respiratory failure.
The man was the second reported case of hantavirus in Utah. The first, a woman from Price, died June 19 of adult respiratory distress syndrome caused by the virus.
The woman, who apparently came in contact with rodent droppings while cleaning her house, became the nation's 80th victim since an outbreak began in the Four Corners area in May 1993.
So far, there have been six cases of hantavirus confirmed in Utah. Two have died.
More than 85 cases have been reported nationwide. The disease has a mortality rate of about 54 percent.