WEBVTT
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We're back. It was a rough couple of weeks. We
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have not been able to release an episode. So
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I fell down the stairs and I broke some bones.
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Multiple, multiple bones. It did make it a little
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more difficult to get activities of daily living
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done and didn't leave a lot of time for podcasting.
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Like putting on pants. Oh my gosh, it was terrible.
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Putting on toddler pants, even harder when they're
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actively kicking against you. But we're back
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mostly because I'll need Alicia to explain the
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headlines to me. What is happening? What is happening?
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All of a sudden everyone's talking about mouse
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droppings? What is this? It's not my favorite
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thing to read about, mouse poop. We've been hearing
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so much about hantavirus. And the last time I
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heard about hantavirus was when Gene Hackman's
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wife died from hantavirus in a very tragic case.
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And then there's been recent news about this
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Andes virus outbreak linked to a cruise ship,
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which immediately makes people wonder, wait,
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is this another COVID situation? And why do people
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go on cruises? That's the real question. That's
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going to be the next episode. That's the real
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question. Why do people go on cruises? I mean,
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the photos, the videos I see on TikTok, they
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are so fun. I want to be there. And then the
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CDC person inside of me is just like screaming.
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Before we divert this episode from being about
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hantavirus to being about cruise ships, let's
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try to get back on track. So welcome back to
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this week's episode of the Rolin Forwad Podcast.
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I'm Dr. Stephanie Rolin. I'm Dr. Alicia Rolin.
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I'm a psychiatrist. And I'm a pediatric emergency
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physician. And all of my cast are now off. That
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is such exciting news. So we're back to be clinician,
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researcher, sisters, podcasters, neighbors, neighbors.
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And we started this because the health news is
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so confusing and it can make it very difficult
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to make the types of decisions that parents are
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being asked to make every day. Today we're talking
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specifically about hantavirus. What is it? How
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people get it, why it's in the news, what you
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should watch out for, and what you should absolutely
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not do if you find mouse poop in your garage.
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The good news is, although we moved with stairs,
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we do not have a garage. I mean, that is very
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purposeful. So let's get started. Alicia, Alicia,
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Alicia, as the emergency room doctor, I feel
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like this is your moment. What is hantavirus?
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Hanta viruses are a family of viruses that are
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mostly carried by rodents. I'm imagining rodent
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noises right now, but they're so gross I don't
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even want to hear it. Different hantra viruses
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exist in different parts of the world, and in
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the Americas, the major concern is having hantavirus
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pulmonary syndrome, which can be rare, but is
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very, very serious. So this is not new. Not new.
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This is not a new emerging case. Hantavirus has
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been recognized for decades. And in the U .S.,
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most cases are linked to exposure to infected
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wild rodents, especially deer mice in certain
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regions. So this is more like rare virus entering
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group chat. Exactly. And how do people actually
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get infected with this? The classic route. is
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exposure to infected rodent urine, which is really
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gross. I just want to say how gross this is.
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Exposure to infected rodent urine dropping or
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saliva. So gross. The big risk is when dried
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rodent waste gets disturbed and tiny particles
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of mouse poop becomes aerosolized, meaning that
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they get stirred into the air and then you breathe
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them into your lungs. So it's not because the
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mouse looked at me funny. No, no, no. It's more
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like you were cleaning out your garage, your
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cabin, your shed, your camp, or your attic storage
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areas, which all of we don't have. Don't have
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any of these. Yay! I win for a person with no
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storage. It's when you're cleaning all those
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areas where rodents have been living, and then
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you breathe in all of their poop. I feel like
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this is where a lot of toddler toys go to die,
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in these storage areas. I'm guessing this is
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why the Public Health Guidance says, do not dry
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sweep or vacuum. any rodent droppings. Exactly,
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because you're basically turning your vacuum
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into a tiny hantavirus confetti cannon. I wish
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I could un -hear those infants. Instead, importantly,
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the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
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recommends ventilating the space, putting on
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gloves, spraying the poop and contaminated areas
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with disinfectant or bleach solution, letting
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it soak, and then wiping it up. No vacuuming.
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Should we be in our COVID -19 gear, mask, goggles,
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gloves? I mean, just being near mouse poop in
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general, I need that level of protection. I'm
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going to need the biohazard suits from the CDC,
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order them on Amazon. Okay, so let's imagine
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that someone's in a situation where they have
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been exposed because mice are terrible. And what
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would someone feel if they had hantavirus? What
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would the symptoms be? So early symptoms are
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really frustratingly nonspecific. Like every
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other syndrome, you feel fever, fatigue, muscle
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aches, sometimes you have headaches, dizziness,
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chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal
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pain. I'm describing every viral in this ever.
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I'm just thinking this is like a tather on a
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Tuesday. It can then progress to coughing and
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shortness of breath as fluid starts to build
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up in the lungs, and that respiratory phase is
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what makes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome so dangerous.
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So the key history is having these sort of non
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-specific viral symptoms, but in the context
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of a rodent exposure, where you know you have
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been exposed to aerosolized mouse poop, or you
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suspect that you have. Exactly. If someone has
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flu -like symptoms and recently cleaned out an
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attic, a garage, opened up the cabin for the
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summer, swept up droppings, that matters and
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is something that you maybe should tell your
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doctor. So, hantavirus has been around for decades,
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right? So why are people talking about this now?
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I think there are two really big reasons why
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it's been popping up on every single newsfeed,
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in group chats, on TikTok. And the first is that
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Gene Hackman's death and his wife's death really
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brought attention to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
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So New Mexico officials reported that Gene Hackman's
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wife died from hantavirus, pulmonary syndrome,
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and that got really widespread media coverage
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because it's rare, it's scary, and the overall
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death of her and her husband was super bizarre
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and initially looked suspicious. Like the housekeeper
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walked into the house and there was like two
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dead bodies on the floor, like what was going
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on? Yes, that was a really tragic story, and
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I think for a lot of people that might have been
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the first time that they were hearing about hantavirus,
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and it was just weird. Super weird. The second
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reason why we've been talking about it again
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is that there's been a recent outbreak of these
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Andes strain of hantavirus that's been linked
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to a cruise ship. They've reported that the ship
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docked in Holland after an outbreak involved
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confirmed and probable cases and several deaths.
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And the Andes virus part is important because
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that strain is pretty unusual. Most hantaviruses,
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viruses, viruses? Viral, I don't know. Most versions
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of the hantavirus does not spread person to person.
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But the Andes virus is one of the rare, I think
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maybe only, hantavirus where limited person to
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person transmission has been reported. This is
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just getting worse and worse. I think people
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hear person to person spread and they're like,
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oh my god, we've done this before and it was
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bad. I mean, we all have the 2020 memories. The
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important thing is that this is not COVID and
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this is not measles. There is not rapid airborne
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spread through coughing in a grocery store. The
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concern with Anais virus instead is that close
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prolonged contact with someone who has this in
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very specific exposure situations, like a cruise
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ship. Again, why does anybody go on a cruise
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ship? It looks so fun, but they are like a petri
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dish for diseases. This is the really important
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difference from COVID. It's this really, really
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close contact. Simply being on an aircraft with
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an infected passenger has not been shown to be
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enough for transmission. Reported transmission
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risk has been linked to people seated very, very,
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very close to the infected individuals. The CDC
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is only monitoring people within two seats of
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recent passengers that may or may not have had
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a hantavirus. Unlike COVID. or measles, where
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I think you just had to look at the cruise ship
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and that was enough. That's enough. That was
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enough. Someone had a cough on the cruise ship
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within the past month. You heard the cough on
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a podcast. So the idea here is that this should
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be taken seriously, but there's no need to spiral.
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Cruise ship passengers that may have been exposed
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are being really closely monitored, including
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here in the U .S. across different states. People
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who were on airplanes with passengers from the
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cruise ship are also being monitored. And the
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quarantine period is quite long, about six weeks.
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You thought the COVID quarantine period was long.
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Can you imagine keeping your toddler home from
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school for six weeks? 45 days. I would need like
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a sticker chart for that, for myself. I just
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feel like I should say, I love my toddler. She
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is the best. 45 days, 24 hours a day. Five days
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is a really long time. No playground time. Yeah,
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it's not about her. It's about me. And thankfully,
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unlike COVID and measles, in which you could
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be infectious and spreading this before you have
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symptoms, as of now, we don't know of any documented
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cases of transmission from person to person before
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someone was symptomatic. So if you have symptoms,
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take that seriously. Right now, asymptomatic
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spread doesn't seem to be a thing. So while overall,
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hantavirus can be very serious, hantavirus pulmonary
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syndrome, very fatal, very devastating. Gene
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Ackman's wife is a recent case. It's hard to
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spread from person to person. And there's no
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known cases that have spread from person to person
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before anyone had a fever or other symptoms.
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So not burgeoning to be the next COVID pandemic
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yet. So, what should families take away? For
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most people in the US, the biggest risk is not
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actually cruise ships. It's not another person.
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It's your lovely, friendly mice in your garage.
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That's awful. Rodents are the biggest risk factors.
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Things like cabins, garage, sheds, barns, campers,
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crawl spaces, storage areas. Those are all riskier
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places, especially if they've been closed up.
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for a while. They've been closed out for the
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winter and you're about to go open your nice
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lovely lake house. So the setting matters. And
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what should people do if they find droppings?
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Don't sweep them with a broom. Do not. Do not
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clean. Just leave them there forever. Burn the
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house down. The doctor in the world said I cannot
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clean the garage. Can you imagine? Don't sweep.
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Don't vacuum. Try to ventilate the space as much
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as you can. Open the windows. Spray droppings
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with disinfectant. Let it soak. Wear gloves and
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wipe it up. Wash your hands immediately afterwards.
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This is one of those public health recommendations
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that is so boring but also really important.
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Really important. It's my favorite kind of public
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health recommendation. There's a theory that
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this outbreak on the cruise ship might have started
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with a bird -watching couple who visited a landfill
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site in Argentina before boarding the cruise
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ship. I understand that landfills and garbage
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dumps have wonderful birds, but is a general
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life rule? Don't. We recommend spending less
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recreational time at landfills and garbage dumps.
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Oh my god, the toddler is screaming for me. Let's
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go quickly. Can I get hantavirus? from our pet
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hamster. We don't have one, but if we did. No,
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but also I would die of my anaphylaxis, so don't
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do that. When I see a mouse, should I panic?
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No, but you should take rodent control seriously,
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seal entry points, clean safely, and avoid mice
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infestations. Is this going to be COVID again?
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No. Current reporting of public health statements
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describe the public health risk as low, even
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though the illness itself can be quite severe.
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So it sounds like the takeaway is that this is
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real, yet rare. Also, serious. And the context
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matters. The Andes virus strain is unique because
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it can be spread limitedly from person to person,
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but hantavirus primarily is a rodent -associated
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infection. So if you see mouse droppings in the
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garage, do not take your vacuum and make a biological
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leaf blower. Do not do that. Please don't. Please
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don't. That's our episode for this week. If you
00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:24.600
enjoyed this podcast, leave us a five star review.
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Send it to a friend. Send it to your partner
00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.980
to tell them why you're not cleaning. I mean,
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someone else needs to clean the garage, a professional.
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It's not me. It's not going to be me. And then
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we will see you next week with more news, maybe
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more outbreak news, maybe more cruise ship news.
00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:43.539
Don't do not take a cruise ship if you intend
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not to have diarrhea. Do not bring the mouse
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in Do not bring the mouse in a ziplock bag Don't
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want to see it. I also don't want to see the
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mouse poop or your child's poop
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.940
We're back. It was a rough couple of weeks. We
00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:05.519
have not been able to release an episode. So
00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:08.300
I fell down the stairs and I broke some bones.
00:00:08.900 --> 00:00:11.580
Multiple, multiple bones. It did make it a little
00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:14.539
more difficult to get activities of daily living
00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:17.000
done and didn't leave a lot of time for podcasting.
00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:19.420
Like putting on pants. Oh my gosh, it was terrible.
00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:22.620
Putting on toddler pants, even harder when they're
00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:25.410
actively kicking against you. But we're back
00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:27.989
mostly because I'll need Alicia to explain the
00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:31.989
headlines to me. What is happening? What is happening?
00:00:32.289 --> 00:00:34.210
All of a sudden everyone's talking about mouse
00:00:34.210 --> 00:00:39.189
droppings? What is this? It's not my favorite
00:00:39.189 --> 00:00:41.670
thing to read about, mouse poop. We've been hearing
00:00:41.670 --> 00:00:44.350
so much about hantavirus. And the last time I
00:00:44.350 --> 00:00:47.109
heard about hantavirus was when Gene Hackman's
00:00:47.109 --> 00:00:50.909
wife died from hantavirus in a very tragic case.
00:00:51.549 --> 00:00:53.490
And then there's been recent news about this
00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:57.020
Andes virus outbreak linked to a cruise ship,
00:00:57.299 --> 00:00:59.479
which immediately makes people wonder, wait,
00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:03.520
is this another COVID situation? And why do people
00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:07.120
go on cruises? That's the real question. That's
00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:09.480
going to be the next episode. That's the real
00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:13.260
question. Why do people go on cruises? I mean,
00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:16.239
the photos, the videos I see on TikTok, they
00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.219
are so fun. I want to be there. And then the
00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:22.099
CDC person inside of me is just like screaming.
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:25.200
Before we divert this episode from being about
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:27.420
hantavirus to being about cruise ships, let's
00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:35.500
try to get back on track. So welcome back to
00:01:35.500 --> 00:01:37.739
this week's episode of the Rolin Forwad Podcast.
00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:40.599
I'm Dr. Stephanie Rolin. I'm Dr. Alicia Rolin.
00:01:40.980 --> 00:01:43.739
I'm a psychiatrist. And I'm a pediatric emergency
00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:47.799
physician. And all of my cast are now off. That
00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:51.659
is such exciting news. So we're back to be clinician,
00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:55.400
researcher, sisters, podcasters, neighbors, neighbors.
00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:58.760
And we started this because the health news is
00:01:58.760 --> 00:02:02.400
so confusing and it can make it very difficult
00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.780
to make the types of decisions that parents are
00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.639
being asked to make every day. Today we're talking
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.939
specifically about hantavirus. What is it? How
00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:14.680
people get it, why it's in the news, what you
00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:17.479
should watch out for, and what you should absolutely
00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.560
not do if you find mouse poop in your garage.
00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:23.259
The good news is, although we moved with stairs,
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:25.599
we do not have a garage. I mean, that is very
00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:35.199
purposeful. So let's get started. Alicia, Alicia,
00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:39.199
Alicia, as the emergency room doctor, I feel
00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:42.120
like this is your moment. What is hantavirus?
00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:45.819
Hanta viruses are a family of viruses that are
00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:48.639
mostly carried by rodents. I'm imagining rodent
00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:50.759
noises right now, but they're so gross I don't
00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.199
even want to hear it. Different hantra viruses
00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:55.039
exist in different parts of the world, and in
00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:57.900
the Americas, the major concern is having hantavirus
00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:01.180
pulmonary syndrome, which can be rare, but is
00:03:01.180 --> 00:03:05.539
very, very serious. So this is not new. Not new.
00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:08.759
This is not a new emerging case. Hantavirus has
00:03:08.759 --> 00:03:11.780
been recognized for decades. And in the U .S.,
00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:13.960
most cases are linked to exposure to infected
00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:16.740
wild rodents, especially deer mice in certain
00:03:16.740 --> 00:03:21.639
regions. So this is more like rare virus entering
00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:28.439
group chat. Exactly. And how do people actually
00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.669
get infected with this? The classic route. is
00:03:31.669 --> 00:03:34.430
exposure to infected rodent urine, which is really
00:03:34.430 --> 00:03:36.930
gross. I just want to say how gross this is.
00:03:37.449 --> 00:03:40.150
Exposure to infected rodent urine dropping or
00:03:40.150 --> 00:03:43.990
saliva. So gross. The big risk is when dried
00:03:43.990 --> 00:03:47.409
rodent waste gets disturbed and tiny particles
00:03:47.409 --> 00:03:50.610
of mouse poop becomes aerosolized, meaning that
00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:52.469
they get stirred into the air and then you breathe
00:03:52.469 --> 00:03:55.389
them into your lungs. So it's not because the
00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:58.370
mouse looked at me funny. No, no, no. It's more
00:03:58.370 --> 00:04:00.349
like you were cleaning out your garage, your
00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:02.430
cabin, your shed, your camp, or your attic storage
00:04:02.430 --> 00:04:05.250
areas, which all of we don't have. Don't have
00:04:05.250 --> 00:04:08.370
any of these. Yay! I win for a person with no
00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:10.830
storage. It's when you're cleaning all those
00:04:10.830 --> 00:04:14.370
areas where rodents have been living, and then
00:04:14.370 --> 00:04:17.250
you breathe in all of their poop. I feel like
00:04:17.250 --> 00:04:19.610
this is where a lot of toddler toys go to die,
00:04:20.329 --> 00:04:23.009
in these storage areas. I'm guessing this is
00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:25.410
why the Public Health Guidance says, do not dry
00:04:25.410 --> 00:04:28.899
sweep or vacuum. any rodent droppings. Exactly,
00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:31.019
because you're basically turning your vacuum
00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:35.240
into a tiny hantavirus confetti cannon. I wish
00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:39.339
I could un -hear those infants. Instead, importantly,
00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.420
the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
00:04:41.420 --> 00:04:44.439
recommends ventilating the space, putting on
00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:47.959
gloves, spraying the poop and contaminated areas
00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.860
with disinfectant or bleach solution, letting
00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:54.439
it soak, and then wiping it up. No vacuuming.
00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:58.500
Should we be in our COVID -19 gear, mask, goggles,
00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.060
gloves? I mean, just being near mouse poop in
00:05:01.060 --> 00:05:02.879
general, I need that level of protection. I'm
00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:05.240
going to need the biohazard suits from the CDC,
00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:11.879
order them on Amazon. Okay, so let's imagine
00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:13.660
that someone's in a situation where they have
00:05:13.660 --> 00:05:18.120
been exposed because mice are terrible. And what
00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:20.680
would someone feel if they had hantavirus? What
00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.850
would the symptoms be? So early symptoms are
00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:28.629
really frustratingly nonspecific. Like every
00:05:28.629 --> 00:05:32.769
other syndrome, you feel fever, fatigue, muscle
00:05:32.769 --> 00:05:34.750
aches, sometimes you have headaches, dizziness,
00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:37.730
chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal
00:05:37.730 --> 00:05:41.750
pain. I'm describing every viral in this ever.
00:05:42.910 --> 00:05:45.370
I'm just thinking this is like a tather on a
00:05:45.370 --> 00:05:48.329
Tuesday. It can then progress to coughing and
00:05:48.329 --> 00:05:50.149
shortness of breath as fluid starts to build
00:05:50.149 --> 00:05:52.509
up in the lungs, and that respiratory phase is
00:05:52.509 --> 00:05:55.170
what makes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome so dangerous.
00:05:55.769 --> 00:05:58.370
So the key history is having these sort of non
00:05:58.370 --> 00:06:01.310
-specific viral symptoms, but in the context
00:06:01.310 --> 00:06:05.370
of a rodent exposure, where you know you have
00:06:05.370 --> 00:06:07.689
been exposed to aerosolized mouse poop, or you
00:06:07.689 --> 00:06:10.550
suspect that you have. Exactly. If someone has
00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:13.930
flu -like symptoms and recently cleaned out an
00:06:13.930 --> 00:06:17.100
attic, a garage, opened up the cabin for the
00:06:17.100 --> 00:06:20.199
summer, swept up droppings, that matters and
00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:22.000
is something that you maybe should tell your
00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.860
doctor. So, hantavirus has been around for decades,
00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:29.199
right? So why are people talking about this now?
00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:31.899
I think there are two really big reasons why
00:06:31.899 --> 00:06:34.160
it's been popping up on every single newsfeed,
00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:37.360
in group chats, on TikTok. And the first is that
00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:40.040
Gene Hackman's death and his wife's death really
00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:42.120
brought attention to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:45.300
So New Mexico officials reported that Gene Hackman's
00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:48.360
wife died from hantavirus, pulmonary syndrome,
00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:50.620
and that got really widespread media coverage
00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:53.259
because it's rare, it's scary, and the overall
00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:55.180
death of her and her husband was super bizarre
00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:57.399
and initially looked suspicious. Like the housekeeper
00:06:57.399 --> 00:06:58.740
walked into the house and there was like two
00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:00.420
dead bodies on the floor, like what was going
00:07:00.420 --> 00:07:04.139
on? Yes, that was a really tragic story, and
00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:06.620
I think for a lot of people that might have been
00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:08.980
the first time that they were hearing about hantavirus,
00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:14.589
and it was just weird. Super weird. The second
00:07:14.589 --> 00:07:16.670
reason why we've been talking about it again
00:07:16.670 --> 00:07:18.850
is that there's been a recent outbreak of these
00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:21.329
Andes strain of hantavirus that's been linked
00:07:21.329 --> 00:07:24.029
to a cruise ship. They've reported that the ship
00:07:24.029 --> 00:07:27.269
docked in Holland after an outbreak involved
00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:29.670
confirmed and probable cases and several deaths.
00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:32.769
And the Andes virus part is important because
00:07:32.769 --> 00:07:37.079
that strain is pretty unusual. Most hantaviruses,
00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:40.360
viruses, viruses? Viral, I don't know. Most versions
00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:43.800
of the hantavirus does not spread person to person.
00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.620
But the Andes virus is one of the rare, I think
00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:51.000
maybe only, hantavirus where limited person to
00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:53.860
person transmission has been reported. This is
00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:56.279
just getting worse and worse. I think people
00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:58.079
hear person to person spread and they're like,
00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.720
oh my god, we've done this before and it was
00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:05.480
bad. I mean, we all have the 2020 memories. The
00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:07.459
important thing is that this is not COVID and
00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:10.779
this is not measles. There is not rapid airborne
00:08:10.779 --> 00:08:13.699
spread through coughing in a grocery store. The
00:08:13.699 --> 00:08:16.540
concern with Anais virus instead is that close
00:08:16.540 --> 00:08:19.980
prolonged contact with someone who has this in
00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:24.019
very specific exposure situations, like a cruise
00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:27.600
ship. Again, why does anybody go on a cruise
00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.879
ship? It looks so fun, but they are like a petri
00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:34.570
dish for diseases. This is the really important
00:08:34.570 --> 00:08:37.409
difference from COVID. It's this really, really
00:08:37.409 --> 00:08:40.830
close contact. Simply being on an aircraft with
00:08:40.830 --> 00:08:43.490
an infected passenger has not been shown to be
00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:46.070
enough for transmission. Reported transmission
00:08:46.070 --> 00:08:49.090
risk has been linked to people seated very, very,
00:08:49.090 --> 00:08:52.529
very close to the infected individuals. The CDC
00:08:52.529 --> 00:08:55.809
is only monitoring people within two seats of
00:08:55.809 --> 00:08:57.970
recent passengers that may or may not have had
00:08:57.970 --> 00:09:00.539
a hantavirus. Unlike COVID. or measles, where
00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:02.500
I think you just had to look at the cruise ship
00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:04.639
and that was enough. That's enough. That was
00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:06.960
enough. Someone had a cough on the cruise ship
00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:09.740
within the past month. You heard the cough on
00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:13.759
a podcast. So the idea here is that this should
00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:17.279
be taken seriously, but there's no need to spiral.
00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:20.179
Cruise ship passengers that may have been exposed
00:09:20.179 --> 00:09:22.139
are being really closely monitored, including
00:09:22.139 --> 00:09:24.740
here in the U .S. across different states. People
00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:26.879
who were on airplanes with passengers from the
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:30.179
cruise ship are also being monitored. And the
00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:33.899
quarantine period is quite long, about six weeks.
00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:35.960
You thought the COVID quarantine period was long.
00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:38.019
Can you imagine keeping your toddler home from
00:09:38.019 --> 00:09:41.100
school for six weeks? 45 days. I would need like
00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:45.509
a sticker chart for that, for myself. I just
00:09:45.509 --> 00:09:47.529
feel like I should say, I love my toddler. She
00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:52.789
is the best. 45 days, 24 hours a day. Five days
00:09:52.789 --> 00:09:55.669
is a really long time. No playground time. Yeah,
00:09:55.669 --> 00:09:58.470
it's not about her. It's about me. And thankfully,
00:09:58.889 --> 00:10:01.629
unlike COVID and measles, in which you could
00:10:01.629 --> 00:10:03.429
be infectious and spreading this before you have
00:10:03.429 --> 00:10:06.509
symptoms, as of now, we don't know of any documented
00:10:06.509 --> 00:10:09.250
cases of transmission from person to person before
00:10:09.250 --> 00:10:12.029
someone was symptomatic. So if you have symptoms,
00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.649
take that seriously. Right now, asymptomatic
00:10:15.649 --> 00:10:20.070
spread doesn't seem to be a thing. So while overall,
00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.789
hantavirus can be very serious, hantavirus pulmonary
00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:26.090
syndrome, very fatal, very devastating. Gene
00:10:26.090 --> 00:10:29.049
Ackman's wife is a recent case. It's hard to
00:10:29.049 --> 00:10:32.870
spread from person to person. And there's no
00:10:32.870 --> 00:10:34.970
known cases that have spread from person to person
00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:37.370
before anyone had a fever or other symptoms.
00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:40.970
So not burgeoning to be the next COVID pandemic
00:10:40.970 --> 00:10:45.100
yet. So, what should families take away? For
00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:48.220
most people in the US, the biggest risk is not
00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:51.080
actually cruise ships. It's not another person.
00:10:51.779 --> 00:10:54.980
It's your lovely, friendly mice in your garage.
00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:00.860
That's awful. Rodents are the biggest risk factors.
00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.899
Things like cabins, garage, sheds, barns, campers,
00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:07.860
crawl spaces, storage areas. Those are all riskier
00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:11.200
places, especially if they've been closed up.
00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.379
for a while. They've been closed out for the
00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:15.220
winter and you're about to go open your nice
00:11:15.220 --> 00:11:20.379
lovely lake house. So the setting matters. And
00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:22.700
what should people do if they find droppings?
00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.039
Don't sweep them with a broom. Do not. Do not
00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:30.840
clean. Just leave them there forever. Burn the
00:11:30.840 --> 00:11:33.659
house down. The doctor in the world said I cannot
00:11:33.659 --> 00:11:37.259
clean the garage. Can you imagine? Don't sweep.
00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:39.519
Don't vacuum. Try to ventilate the space as much
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.039
as you can. Open the windows. Spray droppings
00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:45.039
with disinfectant. Let it soak. Wear gloves and
00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.059
wipe it up. Wash your hands immediately afterwards.
00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:50.519
This is one of those public health recommendations
00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:53.440
that is so boring but also really important.
00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:56.259
Really important. It's my favorite kind of public
00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:58.840
health recommendation. There's a theory that
00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:01.279
this outbreak on the cruise ship might have started
00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:03.960
with a bird -watching couple who visited a landfill
00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:06.100
site in Argentina before boarding the cruise
00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:08.759
ship. I understand that landfills and garbage
00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.159
dumps have wonderful birds, but is a general
00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:17.240
life rule? Don't. We recommend spending less
00:12:17.240 --> 00:12:20.639
recreational time at landfills and garbage dumps.
00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:23.919
Oh my god, the toddler is screaming for me. Let's
00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.980
go quickly. Can I get hantavirus? from our pet
00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:29.360
hamster. We don't have one, but if we did. No,
00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:32.179
but also I would die of my anaphylaxis, so don't
00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:34.279
do that. When I see a mouse, should I panic?
00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:37.100
No, but you should take rodent control seriously,
00:12:37.419 --> 00:12:40.419
seal entry points, clean safely, and avoid mice
00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:43.139
infestations. Is this going to be COVID again?
00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:46.120
No. Current reporting of public health statements
00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.279
describe the public health risk as low, even
00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:50.059
though the illness itself can be quite severe.
00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:52.740
So it sounds like the takeaway is that this is
00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:57.440
real, yet rare. Also, serious. And the context
00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:01.080
matters. The Andes virus strain is unique because
00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.779
it can be spread limitedly from person to person,
00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:06.679
but hantavirus primarily is a rodent -associated
00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:09.100
infection. So if you see mouse droppings in the
00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:11.879
garage, do not take your vacuum and make a biological
00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.120
leaf blower. Do not do that. Please don't. Please
00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:22.600
don't. That's our episode for this week. If you
00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:24.600
enjoyed this podcast, leave us a five star review.
00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:26.700
Send it to a friend. Send it to your partner
00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.980
to tell them why you're not cleaning. I mean,
00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:30.940
someone else needs to clean the garage, a professional.
00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:35.059
It's not me. It's not going to be me. And then
00:13:35.059 --> 00:13:37.259
we will see you next week with more news, maybe
00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:39.419
more outbreak news, maybe more cruise ship news.
00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:43.539
Don't do not take a cruise ship if you intend
00:13:43.539 --> 00:13:51.570
not to have diarrhea. Do not bring the mouse
00:13:51.570 --> 00:13:56.870
in Do not bring the mouse in a ziplock bag Don't
00:13:56.870 --> 00:13:59.070
want to see it. I also don't want to see the
00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:00.950
mouse poop or your child's poop
