Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare but serious disease that occurs throughout the U.S. and is caused by a virus that individuals get through contact with an infected rodents urine, droppings, or saliva.  In the U.S., deer mice are the reservoir of the HPS. The virus is mainly transmitted to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure.

Symptoms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Early Symptoms 

Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups-thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders. These symptoms are universal. There may also be headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. About half of all HPS patients experience these symptoms.

Late Symptoms

Four to 10 days after the initial phase of illness, the late symptoms of HPS appear. These include coughing and shortness of breath, with the sensation of, as one survivor put it, a "tight band around my chest and a pillow over my face" as the lungs fill with fluid.

Uncommon Symptoms

Earache, sore throat, runny nose, and rash are very uncommon symptoms of HPS.

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Rodent-proof buildings by plugging holes or other mouse entryways. Conduct year-round rodent control, or hire a professional exterminator.
• Keep indoor areas clean, especially kitchens. Dispose of garbage in sealed containers.
• Store food in rodent-proof containers, including food for pets, livestock and birds.
• Remove rodent hiding places near your home, such as wood, junk and brush piles. Store firewood at least 100 feet from your house. Keep vegetation around the house well-trimmed.

Additional Resources from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: HPS Fact Sheet
• Take precautions to avoid hantavirus

Plague occurs naturally in Colorado. Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague. This occurs when an infected flea bites a person or when materials contaminated with plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis) enter through a break in a person's skin.  Plague is usually transmitted to humans by the bites of infected rodent fleas. Persons and animals that visit places where rodents have recently died from plague risk getting the disease from flea bites. Dogs and cats are also susceptible to plague and may bring plague-infected fleas into the home.

Symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bubonic plague should be suspected when a person develops a swollen gland or node, fever, chills, headache, and extreme exhaustion, and has a history of possible exposure to infected rodents, prairie dogs, rabbits, or fleas.

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• AVOID FLEAS by protecting pets with a flea treatment, and keeping pets on a leash and out of areas inhabited by rodents, such as prairie dogs and squirrels.
• STAY OUT of areas where rodents live. If you enter rodent prone areas, wear insect repellent and tuck pants cuffs into socks to prevent flea bites.
• AVOID all contact with rodents in the wild, including prairie dogs and squirrels; do not feed or handle them.
• DO NOT TOUCH sick or dead animals.
• PREVENT rodent infestations around your house: clear plants and materials away from outside walls, reduce access to food items, and set traps.
• TREAT known rodent sites around your home with flea powder or other insecticides.
• SEE A PHYSICIAN if you become ill with a high fever and/or a swollen lymph node. Plague is a treatable illness.
• SEE A VETERINARIAN if your pet becomes ill with a high fever and/or an open sore. Pets with plague can transmit the illness to humans.

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Plague web page
• CDC, Protect yourself from plague

Tularemia is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. Tularemia is usually a disease that occurs in wildlife such as rabbits and rodents, and it can be present in the environment in soil and water for weeks.

People can get tularemia many different ways, such as during gardening and landscaping activities. The disease can also be transmitted by contact with an infected animal or from an insect that fed on an infected animal. The bacteria may cause pneumonia when it is inhaled, for example from mowing over an infected carcass (such as prairie dogs, cats, dogs, squirrels, rats or rabbits). Ticks, biting flies, and mosquitoes have been shown to transmit tularemia between animals and humans. Tularemia is not known to be spread from person to person.

Symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

• Symptoms of tularemia usually appear 3 to 5 days after exposure to the bacteria, but can take as long as 14 days.
• Symptoms may include abrupt onset of fever, skin ulcers, swollen and painful lymph glands, inflamed eyes, sore throat, mouth sores, diarrhea, pneumonia, chills, headache, muscle aches, cough, or difficulty breathing.
• Tularemia is treatable with common antibiotics.
• See your health care provider if you are ill with these symptoms

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  

• Wear shoes and gloves when gardening or working outside. Always wash hands after outdoor activities.
• Avoid mowing over animal carcasses, and consider using a dust mask when mowing or doing landscape work if you have seen rabbits or rodents in your yard.
• Never touch sick or dead animals with your bare hands. If the animal must be moved, place it in a garbage bag using a long-handled shovel, and place the bag in an outdoor garbage can.
• Avoid all contact with wild animals such as squirrels and rabbits; do not feed or handle them. Prevent your pets from eating wildlife.
• Wear an insect repellent effective against ticks, biting flies and mosquitoes. Please visit EPA's web page for more information.
• See a health care provider if you become ill with a high fever and/or swollen lymph nodes.
• Contact a veterinarian if your pet becomes ill.

Resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• www.cdc.gov/tularemia

Watch the mosquito control video to learn more about how mosquito control activities are handled and how to protect you and your family from West Nile virus. Environmental Services contracts with Vector Disease Control who provides surveillance, monitoring, and control of mosquitoes. Call the Vector Disease Control Mosquito at Hotline 303.428.5908 for any mosquito complaints or concerns.

Mosquito control in the City and County of Broomfield

West Nile virus (WNV) is primarily a disease of birds, spread by infected mosquitoes to people; it is not transferred from person to person. The female Culex tarsalis mosquito, the species that transmits the virus, usually start emerging in late April or early May and continue transmitting the virus until the first hard frost, which usually is in September along the Front Range. 

Protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites, especially from dusk (evening) to dawn (morning) when the mosquitoes that spread WNV are more active.

Symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

No symptoms in most people

Most people (70-80%) who become infected with WNV do not develop any symptoms.

Mild symptoms in some people

About 1 in 5 people who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, fatigue, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Symptoms begin between 2 to 14 days after being bitten. People with milder symptoms typically recover on their own, although some symptoms may last for several weeks. 

Severe symptoms in a few people

Less than 1% of people who have mild symptoms will develop serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues). 

• The symptoms of neurologic illness can include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, seizures, or paralysis.
• Serious illness can occur in people of any age. However, people over 60 years of age and/or people with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are at greater risk for serious illness.
• Recovery from severe disease may take several weeks or months. Some of the neurologic effects may be permanent.
• About 10% of people who develop neurologic infection due to WNV will die.

Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

See your healthcare provider if you think you have symptoms of WNV. There is no treatment, cure, or human vaccination for WNV, but health care providers can treat symptoms to help patients feel better and possibly recover more quickly. 

Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Practice the Four D's

1. Drain standing water around the house since that's where mosquitoes breed. Be sure to empty old tires, cans, flowerpots, clogged rain gutters, rain barrels, and toys where puddles can occur.
2. Dusk and dawn are when mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active, so limit outdoor activities or take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
3. DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide the best protection. Follow label instructions.
4. Dress in long sleeves and pants to keep mosquitoes from biting.

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile virus
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Mosquito Bite Prevention
• Fight the Bite
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, West Nile virus