What is a dumbbell, a disease that killed Gene Hackman’s wife?

Betsy Arakawa, wife of Gene Hackman, died as a result of a dumbbell, occasional disease often caused by contact with excrements of infected rodents.

Hantavirus does not spread between people in matters found in the United States. It can be transmitted by rodent saliva. But most often it is transmitted by breathing dried mice or urine mice.

Initially, Hantavirus causes fluult symptoms, including fever, chills, body pain and headaches. But as the disease progresses, the symptoms of the respiratory system develop, and patients may experience shortness of breath and then lung or heart failure.

Here’s what you should know about Hantavirus.

What is a dumbbell?

The dumbbell refers to the virus family that are transmitted by rodents. It often moves to people by inhaling particles from dried mice droppings. In North America, the Sin Nombre virus is the most common form of this virus, said Sabra L. Klein, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Chase Disease Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emily Abdoler, doctor and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Hantavirus initially has fluula symptoms.

According to Dr. Heather Jarrella, the main doctor of Up-to-date Mexico, the dumbbells can cause fluula symptoms that appear from one to eight weeks after exposure to infected rodents. Later, patients often experience shortness of breath and then lung or heart failure.

Dr. Jarrell said that the mortality rate from the Hantavirus strain in the South -Western United States is from 38 to 50 percent. She said that the strain in the region could not be transferred from person to person.

Up-to-date Mexico is not strange to Hantavirus.

In the United States, Hantavirus most often occurs in the Four Corners region – Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Up-to-date Mexico – according to Dr. Abdoler.

According to Dr. Erin Phipps, a veterinarian in Nowy Mexico in Nowy Mexico, he has been recorded from one to seven Hantavirus infections for the last five years.

She said that most people were infected at home or workplace. On the property east of Santa Fe, where Mr. Hackman and Mrs. Arakawa lived, health officials found signs of rodents in some structures, although a low risk of exposure to the virus in the main residence.

Dr. Jarrell said it was not clear when Mrs. Arakawa began to feel ill.

How to prevent a dumbbell?

Although there are antiviral drugs that can aid in dealing with symptoms, there is no cure for Hantavirus, said Klein from Johns Hopkins. Therefore, prevention is crucial.

If you live in an area where Hantavirus infected rodents go, tidy all droppings with a soggy paper towel. Do not employ a vacuum or a broom, which can stimulate aerosols from droppings.

Apply gloves and a sturdy N95 mask in a well -ventilated space. People should spray the area with a bleach solution or commercial disinfectant and let it sit for five minutes. Then they should tidy the area with paper towels, throwing them into a trash bin, which closes demanding, said Dr. Phipps.

Treatment of dumbbells in the intensive care unit may include intubation and oxygen therapy, fluid replacement and medicines to support blood pressure. Sometimes antiviral drugs are used.

Gina Kolata reporting brought.