Colorado has recorded its first death from hantavirus since 2024, but the death does not appear to be tied to the outbreak associated with an ocean-crossing cruise ship that grabbed worldwide headlines.
Instead, the death appears to be linked to a much more mundane — and, in Colorado at least, significant — infection source: rodents.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Monday that an adult from Douglas County had died following a confirmed hantavirus infection.
“Preliminary evidence suggests the infection was acquired by local exposure to rodents,” the spokesperson, Hope Shuler, wrote in an email. “The risk to the general public remains low and the investigation is ongoing.”
While hantavirus has gained new infamy across the globe in recent weeks, it is not new to Colorado. The state is a hantavirus hot spot and reported the second-highest number of hantavirus infections in humans in the U.S. from 1993 through 2023. Colorado’s 121 cases, including 45 deaths, is behind only New Mexico, with 129 cases and 54 deaths.
But, crucially, hantavirus is not a single virus. It’s a whole family of viruses, some with different characteristics than others.
The Andes virus, which is responsible for the cruise ship outbreak that has sickened at least 11 people resulting in at least three deaths, can spread person-to-person. But, as its name suggests, it is primarily found in South America.
Colorado has the Sin Nombre version of hantavirus, which has not been shown to spread from person to person. The disease here is spread by rodents, primarily deer mice, which are found statewide. Contact with rodent droppings or urine is the most likely source of exposure.
As a result, cases of hantavirus are fairly widely distributed in Colorado.
Spring and summer — i.e., cleaning seasons — are usually when Colorado sees hantavirus cases because that’s when people are encountering rodent droppings while tidying up. (Hantavirus can also spread through contact with live rodents, though, whether wild ones or pets.)
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people cleaning up spaces with rodent droppings should wear rubber or plastic gloves and should not vacuum or sweep up the mess because that could send virus particles airborne. Other protective gear, such as a mask, goggles and coveralls, are recommended if cleaning up after heavy rodent infestations.
People should spray the droppings with a disinfectant spray, let it soak in for five minutes and then use paper towels to wipe it up. Throw the paper towels in the trash and then clean the area again with disinfectant. Finally, wash your gloved hands with soap and water or a disinfectant before removing the gloves and then wash your bare hands again.
More information on prevention and cleanup is available on the CDC’s website.
Eighteen people who were on the cruise ship are now in the United States and being monitored for symptoms. In addition, public health authorities in 10 states are watching additional people who may have been exposed to hantavirus connected to the cruise ship outbreak.
Colorado, though, is not among those states. Health officials here said last week that Colorado has not been impacted by the outbreak at this time. But officials continue to sit in on weekly conference calls with global health authorities to stay up to date on the threat.