HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) — A rat in a Pennsylvania home-breeding facility has tested positive for the Seoul virus.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Karen Murphy said in a statement that the infected rat was purchased from a Tennessee breeding facility with confirmed Seoul virus infections.

The remaining rats in the Pennsylvania facility were euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.

“We are working very closely with the CDC to monitor any Seoul virus activity and prevent further exposure,” Murphy said.

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The Seoul virus is a type of hantavirus that is found worldwide and spread by rodents, specifically the brown or Norway rat. People can become infected with the virus after coming into contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents.

There have been no confirmed human infections of the Seoul virus in Pennsylvania.

According to the CDC, there are currently 13 human infections nationwide.

There is no effective treatment for Seoul virus infections. </s> Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy today announced that one pet rat in a Pennsylvania home-based breeding facility has tested positive for the Seoul virus. The infected Pennsylvania rat was purchased from a Tennessee breeding facility with confirmed Seoul virus infections. The remaining rats in the Pennsylvania facility were humanely euthanized to prevent further spread of the disease.

No human infections of Seoul virus have been confirmed in Pennsylvania at this time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports there are currently 13 human infections nationwide from this outbreak.

“We are working very closely with the CDC to monitor any Seoul virus activity and prevent further exposure,” Secretary Murphy said. “If you have pet rats you feel could be infected, or if you or your loved ones have been in contact with pet rats and have any symptoms of Seoul virus, you should contact the department at 1-877-PA-HEALTH. While this virus is spread only through infected rats, the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians is our priority.”

A type of hantavirus, Seoul virus is found worldwide. It is carried and spread by rodents, specifically the brown or Norway rat. People can become infected with the virus after coming into contact with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents.

Individuals infected with the Seoul virus often have relatively mild symptoms or none at all. Symptoms include:

In rare cases, infection can also lead to a type of acute renal disease called Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, or HFRS. The symptoms of HFRS might include low blood pressure, acute shock, and acute kidney failure. There is no effective treatment for Seoul virus infections.

For more information, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. </s> A pet rat in a Pennsylvania home-based breeding facility has tested positive for the unusual Seoul virus, state health officials said Thursday.

An outbreak of the virus among 13 people in at least eight states is under investigation by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No human infections of the virus, which can produce flu-like symptoms and can lead to renal failure, have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, the state health department said.

Officials said the infected Pennsylvania rat was purchased from a Tennessee breeding facility with confirmed Seoul virus infections. The remaining rats in the Pennsylvania facility were humanely euthanized to prevent further spread of the disease, the health department said.

“We are working very closely with the CDC to monitor any Seoul virus activity and prevent further exposure,” said Karen Murphy said, state health secretary. “If you have pet rats you feel could be infected, or if you or your loved ones have been in contact with pet rats and have any symptoms of Seoul virus, you should contact the department at 1-877-PA-HEALTH. While this virus is spread only through infected rats, the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians is our priority.”

The Seoul virus is a type of hantavirus, a respiratory infection spread in rodent droppings. Eight people in Illinois and Wisconsin have been diagnosed, and some were sick enough to need hospital care, the CDC has said. </s> It's been almost three weeks since a team of veterinarians and health officials wearing hazmat suits came into Debbie Fratini's Chicago-area home and killed all 31 of her beloved pet rats.

Although Fratini said at the time that she knew it was the right thing to do, she is still heartbroken.

The culprit is Seoul virus, a type of hantavirus that can be transmitted from pet rats to humans. The outbreak first came to attention in December and is believed to have started in Illinois and Wisconsin. Minnesota now is one of 15 states being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials.

Pet rat owners and breeders in the Twin Cities area have been alarmed and frightened since last month, when reports and rumors began circulating on rat forums, blogs and websites that their pets might be confiscated and killed.

Amy Pass of Minneapolis has two pet rats: Sonnet and Haiku. Both were purchased from a Twin Cities breeder whose rats have since tested negative for the virus. "I'm having a hard time knowing how concerned to be," she said Thursday. "Nobody's been sick in our house."

Still, Pass is making sure to follow the CDC's precautions, such as washing hands after handling the rats and keeping cages, bedding and toys away from areas where food is served or people bathe.

Pass said rats make great pets. "They're like little puppies," she said. "They have personalities and they have affection for you. You get to know their little quirks."

The CDC said the general public is at "extremely low risk" from the Seoul virus, which cannot pass from person to person. Only a few cases of actual illness have been reported in the United States. Symptoms are similar to the flu and may include fever, severe headache, back and abdominal pain, chills, blurred vision, redness of the eyes or rash.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) issued a statement in late January saying that no human Seoul infections have been reported here. MDH spokesman Doug Schultz said the situation in Minnesota appears to be confined to three breeders who received rats from facilities in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Two of those three ratteries tested negative for the virus, he said. A couple of rats at a breeder in Wright County tested positive. Those rats were killed and further testing is ongoing. The rattery is under quarantine "until no positive rats are found," Schultz said. Veterinarians and health care providers have been alerted about the virus, he said.

The Wright County breeder, who was not identified by the Health Department, appears to be Rat Palooza in Howard Lake. On its Facebook page, the owner wrote Thursday that, "The Rattery is having all 66 rats tested today for the Seoul virus. Fingers crossed everyone is negative and this quarantine can be lifted off soon."

"This virus is a huge blow to the pet rat community," she said in an email. "We have been trying to educate people on how great of pets rats can make, and with the media portraying rats as dirty, disease-infested creatures, this hurts the rat business, rat breeders and rat owners. Our beloved pets are not wild animals, they are part of our family.

"This is a case of a pet rat breeder being uncautious about quarantine rules when bringing in new animals and mixing wild rats with pet ones, which should not be done," she wrote.

A Wisconsin woman who breeds pet rats became ill in December and was hospitalized. Doctors there notified the CDC, which traced the virus to two breeders in Illinois, both of whom had sold rats to the Wisconsin woman.

Humans can show no signs of illness but still test positive for antibodies to the virus. Infected rats do not become sick, but can shed the virus through urine, feces and saliva for many months.

Fratini said she has been breeding rats for 16 years and bought three from an infected rattery in November.

She didn't get sick, but doctors found virus antibodies in her blood from both short-term and long-term exposure, she said, and was told that if any of her rats tested positive, all would be killed. Rather than subject them to testing, she agreed to have them killed.

"I was falling apart, crying, these are my pets," she said.

Now Fratini is angry, too. The policy was apparently changed to spare, quarantine and retest rats that test negative for the virus.

For more information on the Seoul virus, go to http://bit.ly/2kY2fWm. </s> A health officer checks a cattle in a farm in Gimje, as a preventive measure against foot-and-mouth disease, after South Korea yesterday confirmed a case of foot-and-mouth at a dairy farm elsewhere in the country.

Seoul: South Korea on Monday confirmed a case of foot-and-mouth at a dairy farm, the first discovery of the disease in the country in nearly a year.

It also said there was another suspected case at a different location, although that was yet to be confirmed.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement that the disease was unlikely to spread widely as it was one of three types of the illness that the nation inoculates against.

Nonetheless, the government said it would put in place a nationwide standstill order for farms with cloven-hoofed livestock and related transport for 30 hours from 0900 GMT on Monday.

The confirmation comes as Asia’s fourth largest economy has been grappling with a nationwide spread of virulent bird flu virus, leading to the culling of over 30 million farm birds.

The agriculture ministry said in its statement on Monday that foot-and-mouth had been detected at a dairy farm in Boeun county, about 170 kilometres southeast of Seoul. All 195 cows raised on the farm had been culled to contain the disease.

It added that it was upping its foot-and-mouth alert to the second-highest level as another suspected case of the disease was reported on Monday at a cattle farm in the southeastern city of Jeongeup, according to the statement.

Foot-and-mouth was last discovered in the country at a hog farm in March 2016. </s> SEOUL (REUTERS) - South Korea confirmed a case of foot-and-mouth disease at a dairy farm, the country's first outbreak in less than a year, its agriculture ministry said on Monday (Feb 6).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement that the disease had been detected at a dairy farm in Boeun county, about 170km south-east of Seoul. All 195 cows raised in the farm had been culled to contain the disease.

The outbreak comes as Asia's fourth largest economy has been grappling with a nationwide spread of virulent bird flu virus since November last year, leading to cull nearly 33 million farm birds and raising the country's bird flu alert level to the highest for the first time.

This is not the first confirmation of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Korea. A case was discovered at a hog farm in South Chungcheong province in March last year, according to the statement.

The agriculture ministry said it has stepped up quarantine measures including a movement ban for farms within a 3 km-radius of where the disease had been found.

The ministry also said the disease was unlikely to be widespread as it was one of the three types that the country inoculates against. </s> SEOUL: South Korean health authorities are still trying to track down about 50 foreigners who could have come in contact with a recently confirmed Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) patient - the country's first case in three years.

The individuals include those who were on the same flight as the 61-year-old male patient, who arrived on an Emirates flight in Incheon Airport from Dubai on Friday (Sep 7), local reports said.

A Korea Herald report on Tuesday cited the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC) as saying that it was difficult to track the individuals down, as foreign travellers in Korea usually do not have local phone numbers.

The authorities are also looking at public surveillance camera footage, as well as local accommodations, in the hopes of locating the travellers, the report said.

The update comes two days after the KCDC upgraded its National Infectious Disease alert level from “blue” to “yellow”.

A “blue” alert level refers to no immediate threat of importing MERS cases to South Korea, while a “yellow” alert means domestic importation of the disease from abroad has occurred.

The Korean patient was diagnosed with MERS on Saturday after returning home from Kuwait the day before.

He took two flights on his return trip - Emirates EK860 from Kuwait to Dubai, and EK322 from Dubai to Seoul. The second flight he was on had about 440 passengers, the Korea Herald said.

The report also cited Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon as suggesting that the patient may have been aware of his MERS infection during his stay in Kuwait, as he had asked his wife to wear a mask before meeting him at the airport.

The patient also chose to immediately take a taxi by himself to a hospital in Seoul upon his arrival at Incheon.

In a statement, the KCDC said it is working closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to track the contacts of the patient.

KCDC head Chung Eun-gyeong said that the authorities have traced and quarantined about 20 people who came in “close contact” with the man. They include medical staff, flight attendants and passengers of the plane.

“The names and information of other contacts, including the 440 individuals on the same flight as the patient, have been provided to local government agencies, and passive surveillance is being conducted,” the KCDC added.

In an update on Sep 11, Yonhap News Agency confirmed that five out of six people who had shown symptoms of MERS have tested negative for the disease. The sixth person is awaiting the results of a second test.

Nineteen South Koreans currently staying in Kuwait have also been tested for MERS and their results are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, Yonhap added. These individuals are believed to have been in contact with the confirmed patient.

The KCDC has advised individuals visiting the Middle East to wash their hands frequently and maintain proper personal hygiene. They are also advised against visiting local farms, coming into contact with camels or consuming camel products.

These individuals should also avoid visiting local hospitals and medical facilities unless absolutely necessary. </s> SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean man, 61, was diagnosed with the potentially deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and is being treated at a hospital in Seoul, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Saturday.

The patient returned to Seoul on Friday after a business trip to Kuwait from August 16 to Sept. 6, according to the KCDC.

This is the first time since July 2015 that an outbreak of MERS has been reported in South Korea.

“As far as found by now, 20 people including flight attendants and medical staff have been in close contact with the patient and they are under isolation at home,” KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a press briefing.

The patient, who was suffering from diarrhea, headed directly to Samsung Medical Center from the airport, Jeong said. He is now in an isolation ward at Seoul National University Hospital.

The KCDC director said all flights from Middle East countries have been put into quarantine. “The KCDC and local governments will do our best to prevent spread of the MERS,” Jeong noted.

The infectious disease swept South Korea in 2015 leading to 38 fatalities. MERS is thought to be carried by camels and most of the known human-to-human transmission has occurred in healthcare settings. </s> POTTSVILLE — The West Nile virus is spreading in Schuylkill County, officials said.

Hegins Township is the latest municipality where the virus was detected, according to the state Department of Health.

A positive mosquito sample was collected July 19 in the township. The state DOH reported the results July 24.

Other recent positive samples were collected in Pottsville on July 17 and reported July 24 and collected in Cressona on July 18 and reported Wednesday. The samples are sent to a laboratory for testing before being reported.

The virus causes flu-like symptoms and can result in encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain. Symptoms can show three to 14 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus, according to a fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kyle Schutt, the county’s mosquito-borne disease control technician, said Monday that the most recent positive sample was in the central area of Hegins Township.

The recent heavy rain adds to the possibility of the virus spreading, he said.

“I just expect things to keep picking up,” Schutt said.

West Nile has been detected in the county this year in Pottsville, Cressona, Schuylkill Haven and Ringtown boroughs and Hegins, West Mahanoy and Mahanoy townships. Schutt has placed 189 traps to date to catch mosquitoes for testing.

Weather permitting, Schutt said, the DEP will conduct truck spraying to combat the virus in Schuylkill Haven and Cressona. An exact time has not been determined.

“They have had enough positives at different locations. We believe a truck-mounted spray will be the best,” he said.

The virus has been found in 48 out of 67 counties in the state this year. York County has the most positive cases of the virus at 117. The first case this year was reported in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, on June 21.

The first “probable” human case of the virus was found in an Allegheny County resident earlier this month, the DOH said. The sample was sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing.

Ten counties have birds that tested positive for the virus: Schuylkill, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Clearfield, Union, Lebanon, Huntington, Blair and Somerset.

State officials are warning residents to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

“With our recent heavy rains, Pennsylvanians may see an increase in mosquito activity. There are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from mosquito-related diseases,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement.

While outside, using a DEET-containing insect replant and wearing light-colored clothing can help, the state said. Making sure a house’s screens fit properly and are in good condition is also important.

“Using a personal insect replant or staying indoors during dawn and dusk will help prevent exposure to mosquitoes,” state DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said.

Mosquitoes can bite during any time but are most active during dusk and dawn.

Removing stagnant water, where mosquitoes breed, can help reduce the spread of the virus.
• Remove tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, discarded tires or any object that could collect standing water. Drill holes in the bottom of outdoor recycling containers.
• Have roof gutters cleaned every year, particularly if the leaves tend to clog the drains.
• Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Do not let water stagnate in birdbaths.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and remove standing water from pool covers.
• Use landscaping to eliminate standing water on a property.
• Treat standing water that cannot be eliminated with Bti products sold at outdoor supply, home improvement and other stores. Bti is a natural product that kills mosquito larvae but is safe for people, pets, aquatic life and plants.

Source: The state Department of Health and state Department of Environmental Protection
Authorities in the state of Pennsylvania discover the Seoul virus, a member of the Hantavirus family, in a contained scientific breeding-facility for rats.