Officials announced Friday that Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, had died of hantavirus — ending speculation about the circumstances surrounding her death while sparking new questions about the rare rodent-spread disease.
Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease that attacks the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner at the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, said at a news conference.
The condition is rare but deadly — with a mortality rate ranging between 38% and 50% among those infected in the American Southwest, she said.
Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread by rodent feces, saliva and urine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most hantaviruses found in the United States can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
People can contract the syndrome by breathing in the air when cleaning up after rodents. It can also be spread by touching contaminated objects and then touching your nose or mouth, getting bitten or scratched by an infected rodent or eating food contaminated with hantavirus, according to the CDC.
Erin Phipps, New Mexico state public health veterinarian, noted that Arakawa and Hackman’s home had a “low risk” of exposure to hantavirus, but said there were signs of rodents in other structures on the property. She said that, in the last five years, New Mexico has confirmed one to seven hantavirus cases annually.
The deer mouse is the most common vector of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the U.S., according to the CDC.
People typically begin experiencing symptoms one to eight weeks after exposure. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever and muscle aches, and can progress to vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as lungs begin to fill with fluid, according to the CDC.
While there is no specific treatment for the virus, patients can be supported with rest, hydration and other treatments to manage their symptoms, according to the CDC. In more severe cases, intubation may be necessary assist with breathing.
The risk of exposure can be minimized by sealing any areas of the home where rodents may enter and using traps to clear infestations, according to the CDC.
Arakawa, 65, ran errands on Feb. 11, but has no record of activities afterwards, leading health officials to believe that was when she died. Hackman, 95, died from heart disease, likely days afterward, as his pacemaker last showed activity on Feb. 18, officials said.
The couple’s bodies were discovered in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26. One of their three dogs was also found dead.
