Date:         Fri, 28 Oct 1994 09:54:24 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         paul.uusitalo@aldus.com (Paul Uusitalo,CoSA)
Subject:      RE: Mice--round 2

Keep this in mind when dealing with mice-festations.

In some parts of the country - (including the Pacific Northwest our local
paper reported the other day) mice (and other rodents) are carriers of
Hunta viruses. These viruses are transmitted to us by airborne fecal matter
of said mice. Once infected, you come down with severe flu like symptoms,
your lungs fill with fluid, and in most cases, you die. While it is rare,
it does kill people every year.

The classic scenario for infection is when a person does spring cleaning in
a  cabin closet or shed after having sealed it up tight for the winter (not
dissimilar spaces to a bus I might add). They kick up a lot of virus
containing fecal dust in a poorly ventilated area and breathe it in
concentrations strong enough to produce infection.

"Experts" recommend airing out areas of suspected infection for an hour or
two before cleaning. Wearing a respirator quality dust mask may not be a
bad idea either, although I doubt they filter down to the resolution of
individual viruses.

Of course the best plan is to keep your cabin, bus, etc., mouse free (I
believe that mice or chipmunks must have inhabited my '87 at one point
before I owned it. There were little chunks of nuts in very weird places,
including inside the heater ducts).

Just thought I'd pass this along.

Paul