Daily Mail Officials have issued a health warning over an incurable rat disease after four people died from the infection this year.
Hantavirus — which is fatal in 36 percent of cases — typically causes about 30 cases per year in the US, mostly in western and southwestern areas.
But some states are now recording a surge in the disease. Recent extreme temperatures coupled with heavy rainfall are thought to be fueling an uptick in infections in some areas, as these lead virus-carrying rodents to seek shelter from heat and rain indoors — where they come into contact with humans.
The heavy rain can also boost plant growth and the food supply for rodents, leading to more rodent activit and, later, a possible surge in their population.
Arizona health officials said: ‘Hantavirus is a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory illness.