A Western harvest mouse collected during routine monitoring in the open area along the Santee-San Diego border has tested positive for Hantavirus, county environmental health officials said this week.
County officials remind people that if they find rodents in their homes, garages, sheds or huts, they should never sweep or vacuum behind them, but instead use ‘wet cleaning’ methods to avoid inhaling the virus and get sick to become. .
Hantavirus is not uncommon in San Diego County; it can cause potentially deadly infections in humans and there is no vaccine or cure. However, humans are rarely exposed to Hantavirus because the main carriers are wild rodents that prefer to live in the wild, far away from humans.
Humans can be exposed to Hantavirus when wild rodents lose it in their urine, feces and saliva, the matter dries and is stirred in the air where humans can breathe it. So far in 2020, County Environmental Health has collected 25 rodents that have tested positive for Hantavirus.
County officials said wet cleaning methods included the use of bleach, disinfectants, rubber gloves and bags.
Here are tips for people to avoid being exposed to wild rodents and Hantavirus, and how to use wet cleaning methods.
Avoid exposure to hantavirus
- Seal all external holes in homes, garages, and sheds that are larger than a dime to prevent rodents from entering.
- Eliminate rodent pests immediately.
- Avoid areas contaminated with rodents and do not stir up any dust or materials that could be contaminated with rodent feces and urine.
- Clean up rodent feces and urine with the wet cleaning method described below.
Use “wet cleaning” methods to prevent virus inhalation
- Do not sweep or vacuum the infected areas.
- Ventilate the affected area by opening doors and windows for at least 30 minutes.
- Use rubber gloves. Spray a 10 percent bleach solution or other disinfectants on dead rodents, rodent feces, nests, infected traps, and surrounding areas and let the disinfectant sit for at least 15 minutes before cleaning.
- Clean with a sponge or mop soaked in disinfectant.
- Place disinfected rodents and debris in two plastic bags, seal them, and dispose of them in the trash.
- Wash the gloves in a bleach solution, then with soap and water, and dispose of them in the same manner with a double bag.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
For more information, contact the County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) at (858) 694-2888 or visit the DEH Hantavirus web page.