Hantavirus, the disease that caused the death of Betsy Arakawa, actor Gene Hackman’s wife, has claimed the lives of three people in California.

After Arakawa, 65, was found dead along with Hackman, 95, on Feb. 26, authorities confirmed her cause of death as "hantavirus pulmonary syndrome" (HPS), while Hackman succumbed to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease along with advanced Alzheimer's disease.

Now, Mono County Public Health has confirmed a total of three deaths due to hantavirus in Mammoth Lakes, a town in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. 

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Hantaviruses include a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents that can cause severe respiratory or renal diseases in humans, according to Dr. Rhys Parry, a molecular virologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. 

Most hantaviruses that are found in North, Central and South America can cause HPS. The disease has a nearly 40% fatality rate in those who are infected.

All three of the recent California cases have been fatal, which Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County’s public health officer described as "tragic and alarming."

"We don’t have a clear sense of where this young adult may have contracted the virus," Boo said in a press release. 

One person had "numerous mice" in their home, but no evidence of mice was found in the other two homes, the release stated.

"The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year," Boo said.

"We observed some mice in the workplace, which is not unusual for indoor spaces this time of year in Mammoth Lakes," he went on. "We haven't identified any other activities in the weeks before illness that would have increased this person's exposure to mice or their droppings."

Hantavirus cases are usually seen in the area in late spring and summer, the public health officer stated.

Seeing three cases this early in the year is "strikingly unusual."

"We believe that deer mouse numbers are high this year in Mammoth (and probably elsewhere in the Eastern Sierra)," Boo wrote. "An increase in indoor mice elevates the risk of Hantavirus exposure. Therefore, it is crucial to take precautions."

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None of the infected individuals engaged in activities that would have exposed them to the virus, such as cleaning out poorly ventilated indoor areas or outbuildings with a lot of mouse waste, the official went on. 

"Instead, these folks may have been exposed during normal daily activities, either in the home or the workplace," he said. 

"Many of us encounter deer mice in our daily lives and there is some risk. We should pay attention to the presence of mice and be careful around their waste."

"Hantaviruses typically spread when humans breathe in virus particles from disturbed rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials," Parry previously told Fox News Digital.

The hantaviruses found in the U.S. are not known to spread between people, according to the CDC.

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Other mechanisms of spread, according to the CDC, include breathing in contaminated air when cleaning up after rodents, touching contaminated objects and then touching the nose or mouth, getting bitten or scratched by an infected rodent, and eating food contaminated with the virus.

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, agreed that hantavirus can spread via dust from rodents’ saliva, urine and places they touch. 

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The most common type of rodent to carry it in the U.S. is the deer mouse, the doctor confirmed.

Most hantavirus cases are seen in rural areas, where it is more likely for rodents to get into homes or barns, the CDC noted. 

Siegel added that it rarely affects humans "because only some of the rodents have it, and they don't all come into contact — but one-third to one-half of cases are fatal."

Early symptoms of hantavirus include fever, muscle aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues that appear anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure, according to Parry. 

"These progress to serious respiratory symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs four to 10 days later," he said.

Sin Nombre virus is the most common hantavirus in the United States, which causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome with a mortality rate of approximately 38%. 

"It typically becomes fatal when the lungs fill with fluid, leading to respiratory failure and insufficient oxygen reaching vital organs," Parry noted.

There is no specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus, the expert said, although early intensive care with oxygen therapy and supportive measures is crucial. 

"Early intensive medical care is critical because patients who have sudden acute disease can rapidly become severely sick and die," the CDC states. 

"If a patient is experiencing full distress, it is less likely the treatment will be effective."

Supportive care can include monitoring heart function, administering fluids and oxygen, and placing the patient on a ventilator as needed. Patients may also receive broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, fever reducers and pain relievers.

"Although there is no cure for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, it is important to seek medical care when short of breath, because the patient may need support from a mechanical ventilator or extra-corporal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) machine to deliver enough oxygen to their body," Dr. Sonja Bartolome, an expert in pulmonology and critical care at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told Fox News Digital.  

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"Even with medical care, 30% to 40% of people who develop hantavirus pulmonary syndrome will not survive." 

To prevent the virus from spreading, Mono County Public Health recommended sealing up gaps in the home to prevent mice from entering and storing food in rodent-proof containers.

They also advised against vacuuming or sweeping rodent droppings, nests or urine, as that can stir up the virus into the air.

Any contaminated areas should be sprayed with a disinfectant or a freshly made 10% bleach solution, they recommended, and any enclosed areas should be aired out for at least 30 minutes before activities.

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People should wear gloves and an N-95 mask when cleaning contaminated areas.

"Do not eat food that may have been contaminated by rodents, and always wash your hands thoroughly after any potential exposure," health officials added.

A pub landlady has been granted a lifelong retraining order against a man who turned her life into ‘a living hell’ in a row that started over smoking.

Jacqueline McCaig spent more than £20,000 taking Paul Richardson through the civil courts, after his ‘threatening and intimidating behaviour’ over several years left her in fear for her safety.

She runs the Old Swan pub in Paisley in Scotland and Richardson previously lived in a flat above.

Ms McCaig, 45, said it all started when Richardson complained to bar staff about a customer smoking a cigarette in the doorway of his close.

This lead to an altercation in which Richardson shouted, swore and made threats of violence.

The kayak instructor was arrested and charged for the part he played in the furore, which he later pleaded guilty to.

Before entering the plea, Jacqueline claims he approached her in an effort to get the charges dropped.

She told the Glasgow Times: ‘He seemed to think that because I ran the pub, I could get the charges against him dropped, something that I had no control over whatsoever.

‘He started out quite reasonable, but this changed, and he became more intimidating.

‘He’d be waiting for me to open up in the morning or standing outside as I locked up at night.

‘His actions put me on edge and made me feel very uncomfortable.

‘On one occasion he stood across the street in the pouring rain taking pictures for five and half hours.’

She said he also come into the pub to order a drink ‘despite knowing he had been banned’.

‘I felt as though he was targeting me, my female staff and my business,’ MsMcCaig added.

‘I genuinely thought I was going to be seriously harmed by him at some point. That’s how scared I felt.

‘My life became a living hell – I was constantly wondering when or where he’d show up next. I was so worried that I was unable to sleep at night.’

Despite making several complaints to police, Ms McCaig was told by there was nothing they could do as no crime had been committed.

She was eventually advised by officers to apply through the courts for a interdict, which can act as a restraining order in Scotland.

She said: ‘It felt like it was the only way forward. Taking him to court was the only solution to get him to leave me alone.’

The court was told Richardson’s behaviour had intensified from April to August 2021, culminating in an interim interdict being granted, before a lifelong restraining order was finally given on March 21 this year.

In his judgement, Sheriff Bruce Erroch KC said that Richardson had displayed abusive and vulgar sexual language towards Jacqueline that constituted a legal wrong.

On various occasions the hearing found he stared and stood outside the close entrance next to the pub, smirking and laughing at Jacqueline when she was arriving for work.

His manner was described as ‘angry and intimidating’.

The sheriff also found that Richardson’s threats of violence, harassment and threatening conduct had caused her to suffer fear, alarm and distress.

During cross examination, Ms McCaig told the court how she felt in serious fear for her life and that Richardson had acted in a way as to terrorise her.

Witnesses also told the court that Richardson made threats of ‘knowing gangsters’, while Ms McCaig claimed he was deliberately confrontational, sought her out and targeted her.

Sheriff Erroch KC described her as ‘an impressive witness’ who gave her evidence in a moderate and straightforward manner. Meanwhile, he found Richardson’s evidence not wholly reliable.

During his evidence, Richardson said he did not recall being barred from the pub and that his issues had arisen due to cars parking in the loading bay in Smithhills Street, preventing him from loading his van.

He said he had raised the issue with Renfrewshire Council and claimed he had never gone into the pub while barred, used foul language or made any vulgar comments towards Ms McCaig.

He disagreed that he had a vendetta against her and said that ‘he was not a man of violence or dishonesty’.

He also said police confirmed complaints made against him were never considered to be of a criminal nature and denied ever waging a campaign to upset Ms McCaig.

Despite his position, the order was granted by the sheriff, meaning that he can no longer approach or contact the pub licensee or face criminal proceedings.

Ms McCaig added: ‘It has been years of absolute hell just to get this man stop.

‘Now if he breaches the lifelong interdict, it immediately becomes a criminal matter and the police must act. I just want to move forward with my life and never see him again.

‘The trauma and strain of the past near-five years turned my day-to-day life into a nightmare. I’m so relived the judge ruled in my favour.’

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