SASKATOON — As spring cleaning season gets underway across Saskatchewan, researchers are reminding the public to take precautions against hantavirus, a rare but potentially deadly illness.
The warning comes as a cruise ship remains anchored off the coast of Cape Verde following a hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.
Dr. Bryce Warner, a principal researcher studying emerging viruses at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), says the virus detected on the ship is the Andes virus. It is the only strain of hantavirus known to transmit from human to human.
While the Andes virus is making international headlines, a different strain, which Warner identified as the Sonoma virus, is found locally in the Prairies. While it does not spread between people, it boasts a staggering case fatality rate of 30 to 40 per cent in Canada.
“It causes severe disease in humans in Canada, and the family of viruses is carried by rodents,” said Warner. Mice can carry the virus without showing any clinical signs of being sick, making it impossible to tell if a rodent is infected just by looking at it.
The primary risk to humans occurs in the spring. During the winter, mice often seek shelter in dormant spaces like sheds, garages, trailers and cabins. If infected, the rodents shed the virus in their urine and feces. When people enter these spaces to clean and organize, they kick up dust and viral particles from the floor, which are then inhaled.
To reduce the risk of exposure, Warner advises anyone opening a sealed building to first air out the space by opening windows. Cleaners should wear a mask and gloves to prevent inhaling particles or contaminating their hands and clothing. Surfaces should be sprayed with a disinfectant, such as bleach, and left for 10 minutes before wiping.
Currently, there are no vaccines or therapeutics available to treat or prevent hantavirus. However, VIDO is utilizing a "One Health" approach, studying the virus in deer mice to understand its impact on humans, animals and the environment, and to actively develop a solution.
Warner says his team is in the early stages of designing vaccine candidates, which are currently undergoing testing in animal models to see if they offer protection.
If successful, the vaccine would not be part of a regular immunization schedule. Instead, it would target high-risk populations who frequently work outdoors or in rodent-infested spaces, such as farmers, ranchers, forestry workers and the military.
Despite the severity of the disease and the news surrounding the Cape Verde cruise ship, Warner stresses that the overall risk to the public remains incredibly low. The Prairies generally see upwards of 10 cases across the region in a given year.
"The risk of sort of large-scale outbreaks and epidemics is extremely low with the virus," he said.
