La Plata County Resident Dies From Hantavirus

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says a La Plata County resident has died after becoming infected with hantavirus, a rare but often deadly disease carried by deer mice.

Spokesman Mark Salley says it is the second confirmed case of hantavirus in the state this year. In both cases, the disease was fatal.

According to the Durango Herald,the state health department has documented more than 90 cases of hantavirus in Colorado since 1993. More than 40 percent of people died from the infection.

Hantavirus starts with fever, body aches, headache and vomiting, symptoms that typically start one to six weeks after exposure.