SASKATOON – It might only be in cartoons where the miniscule mouse can frighten off the planet’s largest land animal, the elephant. But farmers would be wise to heed the elephant’s example.
In August a 54-year-old Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask. man died after cleaning a grain bin in preparation for harvest.
His illness was diagnosed as hantavirus, a virulent infection that affects humans exposed to the airborne virus generally carried in deer mouse feces, saliva and urine. The disease took his life in less than two weeks.
Read Also
Land crash warning rejected
A technical analyst believes that Saskatchewan land values could be due for a correction, but land owners and FCC say supply/demand fundamentals drive land prices – not mathematical models
Health department officials point to the small number of infections in Canada, 14, and say that shows the virus is not widespread. Yet rural residents, especially those working on farms, stand a greater chance of coming into contact with the disease.
Hazard of the job
“While the risk of infection is low, 50 percent of those who contract the virus are farmers so that tells us that there is an occupational risk,” said Greg Horsman, medial director of the Saskatchewan provincial health laboratory.
Grain storage areas and enclosed farm buildings pose the greatest risk to people because concentrations of the virus in those areas can be high.
“Granaries and outbuildings should be opened up well, at least 30 minutes before use, allowing them to air out and thus reduce the risk,” said Rita Coshan, of Saskatchewan Occupational Health and Safety.
The Fort Qu’Appelle death was the first time hantavirus has been diagnosed in Saskatchewan. The virus has occurred five times in B.C., eight times in Alberta and been diagnosed 102 times in the United States. More than half of those who contract the virus die and there is no known cure.
People who experience the flu-like symptoms of the illness, headache, fever, muscle aches and cough, and who have been exposed to deer mouse habitat, should seek medical attention immediately and explain the possibility of exposure to the virus.
In Saskatchewan, less than one percent of mice carry the virus, maccording to a 1994 mouse population study. The numbers are slightly higher for Alberta and British Columbia. In the U.S. deer mouse populations containing less than 10 percent that are virus carriers are considered low risk areas.
The disease first appeared in the American southwest, with the first deaths in 1975. But not until five people were killed by a pulmonary infection in 1993 did the alarm bells at the U.S. Centre for Disease Control begin to ring.
A form of the virus is common in southeast Asia, affecting more than half a million people annually with a five to 10 percent mortality rate, but it is relatively new to North America.
The Saskatchewan department of health recommends avoiding rodent-infested areas and taking precautions against infection when contact is necessary.
“There are two sides to this. First, mouse-proofing buildings and farm-yards and second, taking steps to protect yourself if you do have to come into contact with the rodents and their droppings,” said Horsman.
The virus travels through the air when the feces are disturbed so vacuuming and vigorous sweeping are not recommended for cleaning of infested buildings. A wet mop and water and disinfectant spray are better at controlling the spread of the disease while cleaning.
The U.S. Centre for Disease Control said livestock and pets are not affected by the virus and pose no risk to their owners.
