Its average survival lasts between two and four days, depending on the surrounding conditions. Hantavirus doesn't survive quite as long when exposed to more extreme outdoor conditions. But how long does hantavirus live in droppings indoors? At room temperature, it can survive for up to four days.
Although the length of time hantaviruses can remain alive and able to infect other people (infectious period) in the environment varies. The virus may remain infectious for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
Previous observations of patients that develop HPS from New World Hantaviruses recover completely. No chronic infection has been detected in humans. Some patients have experienced longer than expected recovery times, but the virus has not been shown to leave lasting effects on the patient.
Fresh droppings are dark in color and soft in texture, but after three days they harden and lose the dark color. The age of mice droppings tells you how recently the rodents have been to the spot where you see them.
Anyone who comes into contact with infected rodent droppings, urine, saliva, nesting materials, or particles from these, can get hantavirus disease.
However, old rodent feces dries out and releases particles into the air. Once the fecal particles become airborne, you can breathe them in and catch a serious disease or illness.
The risk of acquiring hantavirus is extremely rare, even among people who are consistently exposed to mice and other rodents. The majority of exposures (70%) occur around the home.
Diseases are mainly spread to people from rodents when they breathe in contaminated air. CDC recommends you NOT vacuum (even vacuums with a HEPA filter) or sweep rodent urine, droppings, or nesting materials. These actions can cause tiny droplets containing viruses to get into the air.
Spray bleach/water formula onto rodent urine, droppings, and nest particles. Allow these areas to saturate; this will kill off hantaviruses. With paper towels, wipe the areas clean and dispose of the rodent remnants in plastic garbage bags.
Any man, woman, or child who is around mice or rats that carry harmful hantaviruses can get HPS. You do not have to already be sick to be at risk for HPS. Healthy people have become ill with HPS.
Approximately 12 percent of deer mice carry hantavirus. The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the primary reservoir for Sin Nombre Virus, the strain of hantavirus responsible for the human cases in Yosemite National Park, and most human cases in the United States.
Hantavirus infection can have no symptoms or cause mild to severe illness. Fever is the most common symptom in all three types of disease and lasts about 3-7 days.
In most recorded cases, symptoms develop 1 to 8 weeks after exposure. Early symptoms, such as fever, dry cough, body aches, headaches, diarrhea and abdominal pain, are similar to many other viral illnesses. This may prevent an HPS diagnosis before the illness progresses.
Lower Your Risk for Hantavirus Infection
Open doors and windows of cabins upon arriving and allow at least 30 minutes for airing out. Do not raise dust by sweeping or vacuuming. Wipe down floors and surfaces with a solution of one part bleach and 10 parts water using a sponge, sponge mop or rags.
Vacuum any droppings. Disinfect any areas that they have contaminated, and dispose of any affected food. The most effective way to get rid of mice is to enlist the help of a professional exterminator.
When to see a doctor. The signs and symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome can worsen suddenly and may quickly become life-threatening. If you have flu-like symptoms that progressively worsen over a few days, see your health care provider. Get immediate medical care if you have trouble breathing.
Hantavirus infections can be fatal. Fatality rates may reach up to 60%. There is no available treatment. Early diagnostic may reduce fatality rates by half.
Reported Cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in the United States. As of the end of 2021*, 850 cases of hantavirus disease were reported in the United States since surveillance began in 1993. These were all laboratory-confirmed cases and included HPS and non-pulmonary hantavirus infection.
In the United States, deer mice (along with cotton rats and rice rats in the southeastern states and the white-footed mouse in the Northeast) are reservoirs of the hantaviruses. The rodents shed the virus in their urine, droppings, and saliva.
The most important thing to remember is to never sweep or vacuum rodent evidence including feces, urine and nesting material. When these substances are swept or vacuumed they can break up, forcing virus particles into the air where they can easily be inhaled, infecting the person doing the cleaning.
Mice droppings are typically small, about ¼-inch in length. You can tell if they are fresh droppings by the color. Newer droppings will be darker and shinier while older droppings will look chalky and dry. Rat droppings are similar in shape but larger, typically ½-inch to ¾-inch in length with blunt ends.
A 1% solution of household bleach (1:100 dilution) is an adequate surface disinfectant, which can be used for wiping down potentially contaminated surfaces. A 10% solution of bleach (1:10 dilution) is recommended for heavily soiled areas or items contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or nesting materials.
Hantavirus is a rare, life-threatening infection characterized by pulmonary edema, hypoxia, and hypotension. It typically results from exposure to mice feces or urine in the 1 to 3 weeks preceding symptom onset and can result in death within days. It is most common in the southwest United States and South America.