# Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome: Disease killed Gene Hackman's wife

## Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a disease carried by rodents, lead to a fatal infection that took the life of Betsy Arakawa several days before her husband, Gene Hackman.

**By Mike Snider**

*USA TODAY*

### Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a disease carried by rodents, lead to a fatal infection that took the life of Betsy Arakawa several days before her husband, Gene Hackman.

The two-time Oscar winner likely died of heart disease, Alzheimer's. What to know about the conditions.

### What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus can be contracted by humans who come into contact with rodent waste or breathe in aerosolized rodent urine or feces, Erin Phipps, the New Mexico state public health veterinarian, said Friday.

Hantavirus infections are not spread from person to person and can result in a severe and potentially deadly disease affecting the lungs, according to the CDC.

### What are the symptoms of hantavirus infection?

Symptoms from an infection usually begin 1 to 8 weeks after contact with an infected rodent, . In New Mexico, hantavirus is primarily spread through deer mice, Phipps said.

As of the end of 2022, 864 cases of hantavirus disease were reported in the U.S. since surveillance began in 1993, the CDC said. New Mexico has recorded 1 to 7 hantavirus infections annually over the past five years and 136 infections over the past 50 years, according to Phipps.

In the early stage of infection, a person may have flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle aches, and "they don't feel well," Jarrell said. About half of all patients infected may also develop additional symptoms, .

### Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome?

Between four to 10 days after these initial symptoms, the signs of a potentially fatal disease, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), may begin, %20may%20begin%2C%20%5B...%5D).

Developing fluid in and around their lungs, "at that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours," Jarrell said. The mortality rate of the hantavirus strain in the Southwest U.S. is about 38-50%, she said.

When state health department staff assessed the Hackman home, they found a "well-maintained" house but did find "signs of rodent entry in other structures on the property," Phipps said. "It is reasonable to conclude that Mr. Hackman probably died around February 18," Jarrell said. "Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Miss Hackman (Arakawa) passed away first, with February 11 being the last time that she was known to be alive."

An autopsy on Arakawa found laboratory evidence of hantavirus infection and findings, she said, "consistent with Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome," an often-fatal disease.

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*USA TODAY*

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