I was more concerned when I read about this, I haven't seen anything new but........
[2] USA (New Hampshire)
Date: Fri 1 Oct 2004
Source: The Dartmouth online, Fri 1 Oct 2004 [edited]
<http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2004100101010>
New Hampshire: Dartmouth College Employee Contracts Hantavirus Infection
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A Dartmouth College employee has tested positive for hantavirus, a
non-contagious but potentially fatal respiratory disease carried by
rodents, the College announced on Thu 30 Sep 2004. The male employee
is believed to have contracted the disease after a stay in a
Dartmouth-owned cabin in the Second College Grant in late August. If
it is confirmed that the patient has hantavirus, it will be the 1st
such case in New Hampshire, and one of the few confirmed cases in New
England. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
has not provided Dartmouth College with the man's name, according to
Outdoor Programs director Andrew Harvard. Harvard declined to provide
The Dartmouth with records detailing who stayed in the cabin during
August.
The cabin where the patient stayed and 2 other cabins in the Hellgate
area of the Grant have been closed for decontamination at the
recommendation of the state's Public Health Department and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The patient had reported
seeing mouse droppings in the cabin and touching a blanket with
droppings on it. The cabin was in use when the suspected case of
hantavirus was discovered, and the residents were relocated on Wed 29
Sep 2004 to cabins south of the area. Dartmouth officials are
currently contacting the approximately 350 people who have stayed in
the cabins since they opened in May 2004. The cabins are primarily
used by Dartmouth alumni, employees and their guests, and it has been
determined that no students stayed at the cabins during the Dartmouth
Outing Club freshman trips in early September.
The virus is spread when the droppings, urine and saliva of infected
rodents are aerosolized and inhaled. The disease's primary carrier is
the deer mouse, according to the CDC. Harvard said the Outing Club
attempts to control rodent populations in cabins with poison, but
that it is difficult to keep mice out of cabins. "As anyone with
experience in the outdoors knows, the tug of war between cabin users
and mice is constant in the outdoors," said Harvard.
The symptoms of hantavirus infection, which 1st appeared in the
southwest United States in 1993, generally appear approximately 2
weeks after contact with the virus and can include fever, chills and
vomiting. Extreme cases of the virus can escalate into hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome, which may result in respiratory failure and
death. No cure, vaccine, or treatment for the disease currently
exist, but early referral to an intensive care unit can alleviate
respiratory distress caused by the disease, according to the CDC.
The next steps of the inquiry depend on the outcome of the CDC's
investigation, said Harvard, but an assessment of other cabins in the
Grant is expected and Dartmouth will continue to work closely with
State and Federal Health Officials while monitoring the case. "We
want to respond very quickly to suggestions from the CDC and respond
to needs of the Dartmouth community," said Harvard. "Paramount
concern is that there is a new health risk in the area and [we] want
to manage it and control it."
Health officials say they don't expect an outbreak in New Hampshire.
"It's a rare disease in the United States, and this is the 1st time
its been seen in the area," said Rachel Plotinsky, an epidemiologist
for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. "I
wouldn't imagine it's something we'll see too often."
[Byline: Kate Lyon]
