MOSES LAKE, Wash. (AP) — The Grant County Health District has confirmed that a woman who died there last month likely died of hantavirus.
The health district says the woman was most likely exposed to the virus in her recreational vehicle south of Moses Lake. This is the second hantavirus-related death in Grant County this year.
The two cases are not linked and the district says there is no increased risk to the public.
Hantavirus is a rare illness caused by a virus in the urine, droppings and saliva of infected rodents. Deer mice are the only carriers in Washington state.
The health district says that since 1993, there have been 45 reported cases of the virus in the state, and 16 of those patients died.
©2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
