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Re: [flamer] Rock & Blood:
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jt512
Jul 29, 2007, 7:46 AM
Views: 3405
Registered: Apr 12, 2001
Posts: 21904
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flamer wrote: Another one to be concerned with is Hantavirus. While you're probably not going to get it from another human, it is a concern for climbers. Especially in the southwest. Hanta is spread primarily through rodents. It's airbourne and floats out of (infected)rat nests,coming from their dried fecal matter.
Hantavirus in humans in North America is extremely rare. The most recent CDC stats I could find showed only about 25 cases in 2004 in the entire US.
When I was a county public health epidemiologist in Southern California, repeated rodent surveys showed that 5% to 10% of wild rodents in the county carried hantavirus. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, there had never been a human case in the county.
As I understand it, human cases can often be traced to the victim having been in an enclosed space in which dried rodent feces had been actively stirred up. Hantavirus particles do not "float" out of rodent feces. They become airborne only from dried feces and only when stirred up, as when sweeping a feces-covered floor. So, while it would be a sensible precaution to wear a surgical face mask while sweeping out your rodent-infested, unventilated attic, you need have virtually no concern about catching the disease while outdoors.
Jay
(This post was edited by jt512 on Jul 29, 2007, 4:59 PM)
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Post edited by jt512
() on Jul 29, 2007, 4:59 PM
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