The latest death was the third from hantavirus in Mammoth Lakes since early February, health officials there said. Public health officials in California confirmed that three people in the town of Mammoth Lakes have died from hantavirus, which killed actor Gene Hackman’s wife in February.
In a statement Thursday, health officials in Mono County reported a third death from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the rural town in the Eastern Sierra region, calling the situation “tragic” and “alarming.”
Hantavirus is a relatively rare virus that rodents — typically mice — spread to humans from their urine, droppings and saliva.
“The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year,” Dr. Tom Boo, a county public health officer, said in a statement.