Three wild mice collected in routine monitoring in Carlsbad have tested positive for hantavirus, prompting San Diego county officials to remind people they should never sweep or vacuum up after rodents if they find them in living spaces.
County officials said it was important for people to remember to use “wet-cleaning” methods instead of sweeping or vacuuming if they find evidence of rodents in homes, sheds, garages, cabins or other living spaces.
Hantavirus is potentially deadly, and people are exposed to it when the virus, shed by wild rodents in urine, feces and saliva, dries and stirred into the air and inhaled.
While hantavirus is common in San Diego County, people are unlikely to be exposed to the virus because the carriers, wild rodents, wild mice in particular, generally want to live and nest away from people.
Still, County officials said people should be careful to use wet cleaning methods, with bleach, disinfectants, rubber gloves and bags if they find rodent droppings or other signs that wild rodents have gotten into living spaces and they must clean.
The mice collected from an open space in Carlsbad included two harvest mice and one deer mouse.
There is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus. In 2019, 42 rodents collected in routine monitoring by County Vector Control tested positive for hantavirus.
Last month, two cactus mice collected in Santee and Valley Center tested positive for hantavirus. Twelve rodents have tested positive so far in 2020.
Source: County of San Diego Communications Office