Actor Gene Hackman, 95, died of heart disease last month, a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus, a rare disease usually caught from contact with rodent droppings.
The pair was discovered dead on February 26 at their residence in Santa Fe, Hackman at the front door and Arakawa in a bathroom, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza reported. Hackman’s wife’s last activity was recorded on February 11, when she had visited a grocery store, pharmacy, and food store and come home, the Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza reported.
What is Hantavirus?
Hantavirus, which can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (a serious lung infection), is most commonly acquired in spring or summer, often in homes, sheds, or poorly ventilated rooms where there are rodent droppings. The virus is not transmitted from person-to-person.
The CDC reports early signs of fatigue, fever, and muscle pains, followed by coughing, difficulty breathing, and chest pain as fluid builds up in the lungs. One-third of the individuals with respiratory symptoms die.
In a New York Times report, it was most frequently reported in the United States’ Four Corners area where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico converge, according to Abdoler.
New Mexico has reported one to seven hantavirus cases each year over the last five years, according to Dr. Erin Phipps, a veterinarian with the New Mexico Department of Health.
Dr. Phipps also clarified that the majority of infections happen within or close to individuals’ residences or workplaces. For Hackman and Arakawa’s residence east of Santa Fe, health authorities found signs of rodent entry in some of the buildings, although there was minimal risk of exposure to the virus in the primary residence.