Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome--Colorado and New Mexico, 1998.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe cardiopulmonary illness resulting in death in approximately 45% of cases. The most frequently recognized etiologic agent of HPS in North America, Sin Nombre virus (SNV), is transmitted to humans from its primary rodent reservoir, Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mouse), by direct contact with infected rodents, rodent droppings, or nests or through inhalation of aerosolized virus particles from mouse urine and feces. Sporadic cases occur throughout the United States and Canada, but the potential for spread from rodents to humans in 1998 probably has increased because of increased rodent population densities in some regions of the country. This report describes three cases of HPS that occurred in the southwestern United States with onsets of illness during April 15-28, 1998, and recommends methods to avoid exposure to rodents inside and around human dwellings.