Have There Ever Been Any Cases of the Rare Hantavirus in IN, KY, or TN?

The deaths of legendary Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, have been somewhat shrouded in mystery since their bodies were discovered in their Santa Fe NM home on February 26th.

Found lying on the floor in different rooms, the couple was believed to have been dead multiple weeks before they were discovered. Today, we learned that Hackman likely passed away on February 18th, a week after his wife. It's believed his cause of death was related to heart disease and advanced Alzheimer's disease, while Arakawa's autopsy revealed she died from the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

A terribly sad story just got even sadder. And stranger. I've heard of the hantavirus but have never read a news story about anyone dying from it, although many have. The bizarre aspect of this revelation is how RARE the hantavirus is.

Hantavirus

As of 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control, only 864 people had passed from the hantavirus since 1993. And it's not like the deadly pulmonary infection (there can also be non-pulmonary cases) can be contracted through unusual means; it happens when someone comes in contact with rodent droppings that carry the virus.

What's even more fascinating is the dividing line with regard to the number of cases. A great majority were reported WEST of the Mississippi River, the majority of them in New Mexico. East of the Mississippi River? Well, the number is strikingly smaller, according to this CDC graphic:

I didn't think there had been any in Kentucky; that would have been a newsmaker. But there they are--once again in small numbers--in Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee. As for why it's more prevalent west of the Mississippi River, the CDC explains that the deer mouse, a carrier of the Sin Nombre virus which can lead to the hantavirus, is much more common in the West.

Hantavirus Symptoms

Early symptoms of the hantavirus include:

- fatigue
- fever
- muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders

The CDC adds that about 50% of all cases also come with the following:

- headaches
- dizziness
- chills
- abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain

The first time I ever heard the word "hantavirus" was in the 1995 action thriller Outbreak. The next time was in a 2000 episode of The X-Files. And now I'm hearing it again as we put a period on a very tragic story.