Hantavirus Is Found in Ventura County Rodents

Rodents carrying the hantavirus have been found in the foothills south of Simi Valley, scientists from the Ventura County Environmental Health Division reported Tuesday.

It was the first report of the virus in Ventura County. Scientists found two of a group of 22 deer mice they sampled to be carrying the disease.

An outbreak of the hantavirus in 1993 occurred on a Native American reservation in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Since then, the virus has been detected in every western state except Washington. Thirteen people in California have come down with the virus and eight have died.

The disease is believed to be spread through airborne particles of dried rodent urine and droppings. There are no human cases in Ventura County, but Environmental Health Division officials are asking county residents take precautions in areas where deer mice are often found, such as in old cabins, sheds and outbuildings.