An Atlin, B.C. resident died of the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, at the age of 45 earlier this month at the Whitehorse General Hospital.

The virus is a rare, but serious, respiratory disease spread primarily through mouse droppings, urine, or nesting materials.

A person can be infected by breathing in the virus carried by particles that may become unsettled through sweeping, for instance.

The virus cannot be passed between people.

Symptoms usually develop four to five days after exposure.

They resemble flu-like symptoms, including fever, sore muscles, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. As the disease worsens, fluid builds in the lungs, making it more difficult to breath.

In Canada, Hantavirus is most commonly carried by deer mice, although other rodents may also carry the disease.

According to fact sheets provided by the Department of Health and Social Services, deer mice are found in southern and central Yukon.

Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon's chief medical officer of health, reiterated the rarity of the disease in an interview this morning.

He noted he hasn't yet been able to find a documented case of a person being infected in the territory.

He said he believes this is the first case in recent years in B.C. as well.

While Hanley noted the disease is serious, with a one in three mortality rate, he noted the risk is associated with the intensity of exposure.

The greatest danger is to people sleeping in or cleaning areas where there are a lot of rodent nests or droppings.

Again, while the disease is exceptionally rare, Hanley said it's a good reminder that care needs to be taken around rodents and that "there is a hazard associated with mice and rodents, especially when there's concentrations of them or an infestation of them.”

Hanley urged anyone who realizes they have a rodent or mice problem to read the advice available for safely cleaning up after them.

In order to protect yourself from such disease as Hantavirus, take precautions to prevent rodent infestations in the first place.

That can be done by cleaning up food and eating areas immediately and storing food in rodent-safe containers, a pamphlet by Environment Yukon suggests.

When cleaning up rodents' nests or droppings, carefully soak the area with a bleach solution and remove nests and droppings from the area.

Avoid dry sweeping, because that will stir up dust.

Wear appropriate safety clothing, including gloves and a well-fitted filter mask and goggles.

Officials from the Yukon and B.C. are in Atlin trying to determine the source of the problem.