This year's moist spring has brought to Utah the pitter-patter of tiny, little feet.
Rodent feet, that is.And it's bad news.
At a press conference Wednesday, Utah state epidemiologist Craig Nichols warned about several "warm-weather hazards," including hantavirus and the plague.
Both have a tendency to increase during the summer months, when people are apt to spend more time outdoors. And both are linked to wild rodents, which are thriving in most Western areas due to the long, wet spring.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is an infection of the lungs, usually spread from rodents to humans by exposure to rodent droppings or urine. Most often, Nichols said, humans come down with the virus through inhaling dust composed of the dried rodent droppings. People also contract the virus through rodent bites, albeit more rarely.
During the past few weeks, epidemiologists in Utah have been in contact with scientists and researchers from other Western states as well as the Centers for Disease Control in Georgia regarding the growing rodent population.
Researchers in New Mexico reported through their rodent trapping grids (a catch-and-release form of rodent tracking) that the rodent population this year is the largest since 1993, the year of a hantavirus outbreak that killed 30 people.
"Hantavirus is a summer disease," Nichols said, and most cases in Utah have been reported from April to October. Usually, the rise in reported cases is associated with increased farming and outdoor activities and household cleanup.
Symptoms of hantavirus include fever, headache, muscle aches, shortness of breath, vomiting and diarrhea. Rarely seen symptoms are a runny nose and a sore throat.
So, as many Utahns do their spring cleaning, the Utah Health Department warns it is imperative to take precautions, including:
- Avoid stirring up dust when cleaning rodent-infested areas.
- Spray the area with a household disinfectant.
- Use rubber or latex gloves while cleaning.
- Double-bag rodent droppings or other contaminated items for disposal.
Rodents should be eliminated from the home by using snap traps, preventing their entry by sealing openings larger than a quarter of an inch and removing their food sources.
In some areas, however, the rodent population has not been at "normal" levels. That may indicate the plague is spreading among rodents through fleas that carry and transmit the disease, Nichols said. It also means that humans are at greater risk of contracting the plague.
Nichols said campers are especially at risk. To reduce the risk of plague exposure, Nichols offered the following advice:
- Stay away from rodents. Don't feed them - keep food containers tightly sealed.
- Avoid taking pets on camping trips, but if you must, make sure they are properly dusted with flea repellants. Flea collars are not sufficient.
- Don't camp around rodent burrows, even if rodents are not visibly present.
- Do wear protective clothing. Nichols suggests long pants tucked into boots and long-sleeve shirts. Lighter color clothing is better, too, because it is easier to spot fleas and ticks.
Questions about hantavirus or the plague should be directed to local health departments or the Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, 538-6191.