Deadly, Incurable Virus Affecting Idaho More Than 39 Other States

A recent celebrity death has brought a rare, incurable virus back into the spotlight in the United States. To date, Idaho is in the top eleven states for confirmed cases of the virus, which is spread through contact with rodents.

The recent death of actor Gene Hackman has raised concerns in the Western United States over the rare, but often fatal, hantavirus. Hackman, who starred in hundreds of films dating back to the sixties, died in his New Mexico home on February 18 of heart disease, according to numerous sources including CBS News.

Although rare, there is no known cure for hantavirus.

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The late actor's wife, who passed away days earlier in the same home, was determined through blood work to have had hantavirus, which is spread by rodents. New Mexico has had the most cases of the virus in the United States since health records for the illness began being documented, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Idaho is in the top 11 states for confirmed cases, with five human fatalities verified, according to CDC data. Only New Mexico, Utah, California, Washington State, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Texas have seen more illnesses caused by hantavirus, according to the CDC. New Mexico has had the most fatalities from the virus through 2022 with 52 deaths confirmed.

Symptoms of hantavirus include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, dizziness, diarrhea, and pain in the lungs from fluid buildup, according to CDC data. Although rare, there is no known cure for hantavirus.