What is Hantavirus? The virus that caused the death of Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife
The virus that killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman, is a relatively rare, but devastating threat without a vaccine, treatment or cure.
The virus that killed Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman, is a relatively rare, but devastating threat without a vaccine, treatment or cure.
Hantaviruses, a family of pathogens, are spread by rodents, mostly mice, and excreted in the animals' saliva, droppings and urine.
In New Mexico, where Arakawa and Hackman lived, the most common carrier of hantavirus is the deer mouse, a small creature with a white underbelly, large eyes and oversized ears.
“It’s a horrible disease,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, a retired public health officer in Seattle who helped characterize the first known outbreak of the disease in the U.S. in 1993. “It’s not uniformly fatal and it’s not always severe, but the fatality rate is still thought to be up to 40%, which is really high.”
Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and Hackman, 95, died a week later of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, officials said Friday. Alzheimer’s disease was a significant contributory factor in Hackman's death.
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