GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.—The Tri-County Health Department says an Adams County woman has died of hantavirus in the first Colorado death from the respiratory disease this year.
The department said Wednesday that the 36-year-old woman, who had no serious underlying health conditions, was admitted to a hospital July 8 with flu-like symptoms and died two days later.
Health officials say she most likely was exposed to hantavirus while cleaning a rodent-infested area of her home.
People can catch the virus from inhaling airborne particles of infected rodents’ excrement.
Symptoms include fever, chills, headache and severe muscle pain, especially in the lower back and legs, followed by a dry cough or difficulty breathing.
State health officials say a Delta County man and Garfield County woman were infected with hantavirus earlier this year. Both survived.
