Myth Check

Hantavirus spreads from person to person.

In the United States and Canada, hantavirus is not known to spread from person to person. The virus spreads primarily when a person breathes in air contaminated with virus particles from infected rodent droppings, urine, or nesting materials. The exception is Andes virus in South America, which has rare documented cases of person-to-person spread.

All mice and rats carry hantavirus.

Not all rodents carry hantavirus. In the United States, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the primary reservoir for Sin Nombre virus, the most common cause of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). Other rodent species can carry different hantavirus strains, but most common household rodents are not significant reservoirs. The specific rodent species and geographic location matters.

Hantavirus only occurs in the southwestern United States.

While hantavirus cases were first identified in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, HPS has since been reported throughout most of the continental United States. Cases have been documented in states across the country, including rural and suburban areas beyond the Southwest. The deer mouse, the primary carrier, is found across North America.