Tents should have floors and openings which zip or close tightly. Food should be kept in rodent-proof containers. Trash must be discarded in covered trash containers or buried properly. Use only bottled water or water that has been treated for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and brushing teeth. The lungs then begin to fill with fluid, making breathing diffucult.
Shortness of breath is a major indication of problems.
Any person experiencing these symptoms should seek medical care immediately. Exposure to rodents, if known, should be communicated to the health care provider. The first hantavirus symptoms appear from one to six weeks after contact with the virus usually within two to three weeks after exposure. An antiviral drug called ribavirun is helpful with the Asian strain of virus, but not enough research has been done to know how effective this drug is against the hantavirus in this country. The treatment to date for the hantavirus seen in the U.S. is basically supportive and best provided in intensive care units.