What Is Hantavirus?
The CDC says people get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially their urine, droppings and saliva, and rarely through a bite or scratch. When fresh urine, droppings or nesting materials from an infected rodent are stirred up, the virus can get into the air, and people can be infected by breathing it in. In the United States, the most common hantavirus that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is spread by the deer mouse.
The CDC says HPS is a severe and potentially deadly lung disease whose symptoms usually start 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent, beginning with fatigue, fever and muscle aches, especially in the thighs, hips, back and sometimes shoulders. Four to 10 days after that initial phase come coughing and shortness of breath as the lungs fill with fluid, and the CDC says 38 percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease.
Cleanup is where people get exposed. The CDC says not to vacuum or sweep rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials, because that can put tiny droplets containing the virus into the air. Instead, it says to put on rubber or plastic gloves and spray the urine and droppings with a bleach solution or an EPA-registered disinfectant until very wet, letting it soak for 5 minutes or as the disinfectant label directs.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceThe CDC says people get hantavirus from contact with rodents like rats and mice, especially their urine, droppings and saliva, and rarely through a bite or scratch. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says stirring up fresh urine, droppings or nesting materials of an infected rodent can put the virus into the air, and people can be infected by breathing it in. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says hantaviruses in the United States can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and the most common one causing it is spread by the deer mouse. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says HPS symptoms usually start 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent, with early fatigue, fever and muscle aches in the thighs, hips, back and sometimes shoulders. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says late HPS symptoms of coughing and shortness of breath appear 4 to 10 days after the initial phase, and 38 percent of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die. CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe CDC says not to vacuum or sweep rodent droppings, and instead to wear gloves and spray them with bleach solution or an EPA-registered disinfectant until very wet, soaking for 5 minutes or per the label. CDC ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.