SESSIONS ON HANTAVIRUS SLATED AFTER BOY'S DEATH.Byline: Daily News LANCASTER - In the wake of the death of an Antelope Valley teen from hantavirus hantavirus, any of a genus (Hantavirus) of single-stranded RNA viruses that are carried by rodents and transmitted to humans when they inhale vapors from contaminated rodent urine, saliva, or feces. There are many strains of hantavirus. , the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will hold educational meetings about avoiding infection from the rodent-borne microorganism microorganism /mi·cro·or·gan·ism/ (-or´gah-nizm) a microscopic organism; those of medical interest include bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. . The meetings will be Thursday, 6-8 p.m. at Lancaster City Hall, 44933 Fern Ave., and 7-9 p.m. at the Chimbole Cultural Center, 38350 Sierra Highway, Palmdale. Last week, county public health officials confirmed that a boy who died Aug. 6 had been infected with hantavirus, which in the Western United States Noun 1. western United States - the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River West Santa Fe Trail - a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century is spread by deer mice deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus Public health The murine vector for Hantavirus. See Hantavirus. . Officials are investigating how the boy became infected, because he had been outside Los Angeles County before becoming ill. A 52-year-old Los Angeles County man died in July from hantavirus after staying in a trailer park in Mono County, where hantavirus is known to exist. Evidence of hantavirus in deer mice has been detected previously in some parts of the Antelope Valley, health officials said. The virus is not spread by the common house mouse, experts say. People catch the disease by breathing the virus through activities such as dusting or sweeping areas contaminated by deer mouse droppings or urine. There is no specific cure. The usual treatment is to put the patient on an artificial respirator respirator /res·pi·ra·tor/ (res´pi-ra?ter) ventilator (2). cuirass respirator see under ventilator. while the body's immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. fights the virus. For more information, contact public health nurse Martha Collins at (661) 723-4648. |
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