Hantavirus: What it is, how it spreads, how often it’s fatal [Video]

Hantavirus, the rodent-borne pathogen blamed for the death of concert pianist Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, is a rare but often fatal virus that has killed at least 34 people in Canada over the past three decades.

Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in mid-February, roughly a week before the 95-year-old Hackman died of heart failure, likely brought on by his dementia and his inability to care for himself, according to the chief medical investigator for New Mexico.

What is hantavirus?

Multiple hantaviruses have been reported around the world, and all are spread by rodents such as rats and mice. Five species in North America are known to carry hantaviruses, three of which are commonly found in Canada: the deer mouse, white-footed mouse and red-backed vole. 

In humans, a hantavirus infection can cause serious diseases. The most common illness from an infection in North America is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, an often severe respiratory disease that typically begins with flu-like symptoms.  

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