Two Los Angeles County Residents Died From Hantavirus This Summer

LOS ANGELES —  Two Los Angeles County residents died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome this summer, but it was unclear where the rodent-spread disease was contracted, public health officials said Tuesday.

One person, whose name, age and gender was unavailable, died in July after camping in Mono County, an area where rodents are known to have the virus, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

Then, on Aug. 6, an Antelope Valley youth died after complaining of fever, headache, shortness of breath and a cough, health officials said.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is spread by infected rodents through urine, droppings or saliva.

Humans can contract the disease by breathing air in areas contaminated with rodent excrement, but hantavirus cannot be transmitted from person to person, public health officials said.

The disease, primarily spread by the deer mouse, was first recognized in 1993. Doctors have not developed a specific treatment for the disease.

Only two other cases in Los Angeles County have been documented, and both patients caught the disease in other parts of the state or outside California.