Officials have issued a health warning over an incurable rat disease after four people d!ed from the infection this year
Hantavirus — which is fatal in 36 percent of cases — typically causes about 30 cases per year in the US, mostly in western and southwestern areas.
But some states are now recording a surge in the disease.
In infection hotspot Arizona, officials have issued a warning after recording seven cases and three deaths this year — compared to 11 cases in the six years from 2016 to 2022.
There have also been two cases and one death in California, including in a county that hasn’t detected the virus for two decades.
Recent extreme temperatures coupled with heavy rainfall are thought to be fueling an uptick in infections in some areas, as these lead virus-carrying rodents to seek shelter from heat and rain indoors — where they come into contact with humans.
The heavy rain can also boost plant growth and the food supply for rodents, leading to more rodent activit and, later, a possible surge in their population.
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