GRANT COUNTY, Wash. – Health officials announced Tuesday that they have confirmed a case of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in a Grant County resident.
Grant County Health District officials said the person is believed to have been exposed to contaminated deer mouse dropping while cleaning out their vehicle. The person has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Officials said this is the first confirmed case of hantavirus in Grant County in six years. In 2012, two people in Grant County died of HPS from unrelated incidents. Health officials said there are one to five confirmed Hantavirus cases reported in Washington each year.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a rare illness caused by a virus found in the urine, droppings and saliva of infected rodents. In Washington State, deer mice are the only carriers of the virus.
