Rare virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife kills three in small California town

Betsy Arakawa was killed by Hantavirus earlier this year, and health experts in California are worried about the number of cases so early in the season

independent uk / Rachel Clun

The rare virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa has killed three people in a small northern Californian town east of San Francisco, health experts confirmed.

Local health officials are concerned after the unusual spike in Hantavirus-related deaths so close together, with all three deaths occurring in the first few months of the year.

The deaths occurred in the town of Mammoth Lakes, which has a population of just over 7,000.

Hantavirus is contracted when people come into contact with infected deer mouse droppings, urine, or saliva.

Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County Public Health Officer, said: “A third case of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), each of which has been fatal, is tragic and alarming.”

“The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year,” Dr. Boo said in a statement.

“Historically, we tend to see Hantavirus cases later in the spring and in the summer. We’ve now gone about a month without any additional suspect cases but remain concerned about the increase in activity.”

Hantavirus is a virus that spreads through the urine, droppings, or saliva of wild rodents, including deer mice, and can cause serious disease in humans (California Department of Public Health)

He said there was no clear picture of how the third person, a young adult, had contracted the virus, as there was no evidence of mice at the person’s home, and while there were some mice at their workplace, it was “not unusual for indoor spaces this time of year in Mammoth Lakes”.

“We haven’t identified any other activities in the weeks before illness that would have increased this person’s exposure to mice or their droppings,” Dr. Boo said.

The public health office believes deer mouse numbers are high in Mammoth Lakes and elsewhere in Eastern Sierra this year, and an increase in indoor mice also increases the risk of exposure to Hantavirus.

“I want to emphasize that as far as we know, none of these deceased individuals engaged in activities typically associated with exposure, such as cleaning out poorly ventilated indoor areas or outbuildings with a lot of mouse waste,” Dr. Boo said.

“Instead, these folks may have been exposed during normal daily activities, either in the home or the workplace.”

Dr. Boo urged Mono County residents to take precautions against the virus, which does not spread between people, including by storing food in rodent-proof containers and sealing all gaps in homes to prevent mice from entering.

“Many of us encounter deer mice in our daily lives, and there is some risk. We should pay attention to the presence of mice and be careful around their waste.”

Hantavirus, which is rare, shot to public attention after a New Mexico medical examiner announced that Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa had died after contracting the virus.

The bodies of Arakawa, 65, and actor Hackman, 95, were found in their Santa Fe home in February, sometime after they died.

A medical examiner announced that Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa died after contracting hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (AP)

Evidence suggested Arakawa died about two weeks before their bodies were found, while Hackman died about a week later from heart disease.

The Mono County health office said that about one in three people infected with Hantavirus die, adding that prompt diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes.

The US began recording cases of the virus in 1993, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 864 laboratory-confirmed cases had been recorded across the country by the end of 2022.

The CDC reports that states in the southwest, in particular, have recorded the highest number of cases. California has recorded 78, while New Mexico has recorded 122.

Of the Californian cases, 27 have been recorded in Mono County. The health office said most cases are recorded in late spring or summer, so three cases at this time of year were “strikingly unusual.”

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