For the past decade or so, five or less cases of hantavirus were reported in Arizona every year.
As of this month, the number of hantavirus cases in 2024 has nearly doubled that amount.
According to the state health department, as of mid-August Arizona has nine confirmed cases of hantavirus. So far, three people have died this year. And the second-ever case of the disease was documented in Pima County.
Hantavirus is found throughout the Southwest and is usually carried by wild rodents. While animals don’t show visible symptoms, people experience effects like fatigue and fever that can progress into a more serious condition like pneumonia.
Health officials advise that while human-to-human transmission isn’t possible, exposure can happen around infected rodents, their nesting materials or waste.
