Post by Graveyardbride on Apr 27, 2018 11:35:26 GMT -5
New Mexico Woman Dies of Rare Hantavirus
A 27-year-old New Mexico woman spent weeks fighting for her life after contracting the rare rodent-borne disease known as Hantavirus (HPS). Kiley Lane (above) died April 18 at the University of New Mexico Hospital. She leaves behind her husband, Kevin Lane, and a 2-year-old daughter.
When her symptoms began in January, Lane assumed she had the flu. Her husband urged her to seek medical attention after she began complaining of sharp abdominal pains and nausea. Following several incorrect diagnoses, she tested positive for Hantavirus in February and was airlifted to UNHM for treatment where she was placed on an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine to supplement her heart and lung functions.
Hantavirus is a rare disease typically spread through contact with infected deer mice or their droppings or urine. It has been documented only 728 times in 36 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the majority of cases in states west of the Mississippi. It is fatal in approximately 38percent of victims and cannot be transmitted from person-to-person.
“This virus starts attacking your body, it damages your organs,” Julie Barron, Lane’s mother, previously told Fox News. “The first thing that happened with Kiley is her lungs.”
The young woman’s family aren’t sure where she came into contact with the virus, but wanted others to be aware of the dangers it can bring. “It’s not like she was digging through a dumpster or around infected rodents,” Barron added. “She was doing her normal, everyday routine – sweeping the porch, wiping off a box with a paper towel.”
Pets can also contract HPS. If a pet comes into contact with an infected rodent, the dog or cat can easily bring the residue of the animal’s urine, feces or saliva into the home.
Because of the small number of HPS cases, incubation time is uncertain. However, it appears symptoms develop between one and eight weeks after exposure to the fresh urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents.
Early symptoms include headache, fever, dizziness, chills, fatigue and muscle aches (especially in the large muscle groups: thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders). Victims may also experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Four to 10 days after the initial phase, the lungs fill with fluid and patients experience coughing and shortness of breath. One survivor described feeling as though he had a “tight band around my chest and a pillow over my face.”
Diseases considered virtually eradicated a decade ago are making a comeback in the United States. Hospitals across the country are treating conditions such as tuberculosis, malaria and leprosy, as well as diseases once confined to third world countries such as West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever and Hantavirus. These diseases are most prevalent in the states along the border with Mexico, where illegal immigrants enter the country, and those with high numbers of illegal immigrants. In El Paso, for example, tuberculosis cases are more than double the national average.
Sources: Fox News, April 27, 2018; Tim George, Off the Grid News; and The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
