PESTILENCE WATCH:Hantavirus kills 3 in week

Four people have died from Hantavirus in Colorado this year, including three this week, tying the record of fatalities set in 1993.The three most recent victims lived in rural Custer, Costilla and Park counties, the Colorado Dep. of Public Health and Environment said Tuesday.
Officials would not release the ages or genders of the victims. The fourth death was in Alamosa in May.There have been 61 documented,cases of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome since the department began tracking the virus in 1993.Of those, 23 have been fatal. "This is not a virus you want to get," said John Pape, an epidemiologist specializing in animal-related diseases for the health department.Hantavirus affects the respiratory system when people inhale dirt or dust that has been contaminated with urine and feces of deer mice.Pape said the virus strikes mostly in rural areas,where deer mice live.People usually contract Hantavirus after working in cabins, sheds,barns and buildings that can get infested with the deer mice.The mice have white bellies, brown backs and large ears.Symptoms,on average,begin two to three weeks after exposure and include vomiting,high fever,and flulike body aches.Within days,the lungs fill with fluid,causing shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.Besides the four deaths,two nonfatal cases have been documented this year, matching the number reported last year. In 2005, 11 cases were documented, with one death...
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