Officials announced Friday that Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, had died of hantavirus — ending speculation about the circumstances surrounding her death while sparking new questions about the rodent-spread disease.
Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease that attacks the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner at the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, said at a news conference.
The condition is rare but deadly — with a mortality rate between 38% and 50% among those infected in the American Southwest, she said.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread by rodent feces, saliva and urine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most hantaviruses found in the United States can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
People can contract the syndrome by breathing in the air when cleaning up after rodents. It can also be spread by touching contaminated objects and then touching your nose or mouth, getting bitten or scratched by an infected rodent or eating food contaminated with hantavirus, according to the CDC.
Erin Phipps, New Mexico state public health veterinarian, noted that Arakawa and Hackman’s home had a “low risk” of exposure to hantavirus, but said there were signs of rodents in other structures on the property. She said that, in the last five years, New Mexico has confirmed one to seven hantavirus cases annually.
A total of 122 cases and 52 deaths were reported in New Mexico between 1993, when surveillance began, and 2022, the most recent year for which the CDC has data publicly available. California reported 78 cases and 24 deaths in that same time span.
The California cases include a hantavirus outbreak at Yosemite National Park in summer 2012 that infected visitors staying in tent cabins. Of the 10 people who were infected, eight experienced hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, five required intensive care with ventilatory support, and three died.
The deer mouse is the most common vector of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the U.S., according to the CDC.
People typically begin experiencing flu-like symptoms one to eight weeks after exposure. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, and can progress to vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as lungs begin to fill with fluid, according to the CDC.
While there is no specific treatment for the virus, patients can be supported with rest, hydration and other treatments to manage their symptoms, according to the CDC. In more severe cases, intubation may be necessary to assist with breathing.
The risk of exposure can be minimized by sealing any areas of the home where rodents may enter and using traps to clear infestations, according to the CDC.
“It is important to take special steps when cleaning up after rodents,” Phipps said at the news conference. “Avoiding contact with or breathing in aerosolized rodent urine or feces, especially in a poorly ventilated area, is key.”
She recommended residents use gloves and a well-fitting N95 mask when cleaning rodent-infested areas and open windows and doors for at least 30 minutes beforehand to improve air circulation. She also recommended spraying the area with a 10% bleach solution or commercial disinfectant, letting it sit for at least five minutes, cleaning the area with paper towels and tossing them in a sealed garbage can that is regularly emptied.
It’s also important to wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning and to avoid sweeping or vacuuming mouse droppings, as this can spread particles into the air, she said.
Arakawa, 65, ran errands on Feb. 11, but there is no record of her activities afterward, leading health officials to believe she died on that date. Hackman, 95, died from heart disease, probably days afterward, as his pacemaker last showed activity on Feb. 18, officials said.
The couple’s bodies were discovered in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26. One of their three dogs was also found dead.
