Provincial Health Officials are reporting the first case of Hantavirus in Saskatchewan in two years.

They say a man in West Central Saskatchewan is ill with the virus, which is spread through air particles and surfaces contaminated by deer mice (pictured above).

Symptoms of Hantavirus include fever, muscle aches, cough, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and in rare cases, it may become fatal.

 

Since 1994, 20 cases of Hantavirus have been reported in Saskatchewan, with six cases surfacing since 2004. The last case reported in the province was in 2008.


The public is being asked to avoid contact with deer mice if at all possible, and keep properties and homes clean and protected from rodents.

 

Colin Powers talked with Dr. David Torr, Consulting Medical Health Officer for the Cypress Health Region, about Hantavirus:

 

 

More information on Hantavirus can be found at the Ministry of Health's website .