What Is Hantavirus? New Mexico Woman Dies Of Rare Rodent-Borne Illness

A 27-year-old woman from New Mexico died of a rodent-borne virus, three months after she first started to show symptoms.

The woman identified as Kiley Lane from Aztec, New Mexico, tested positive for Hantavirus, a rare virus that is passed to humans through contact with the urine or droppings of infected rodents, in February.

Julie Barron, Lane’s mother said at the time: “A month ago she was going to go to Costa Rica with a bunch of girlfriends, and enjoy a fun week. Now she can't even go do anything on her own.”

When asked whether she was aware of the circumstances in which her daughter caught the infection, Barron said she had no idea about it.

After Lane’s symptoms were first discovered, her treatment started at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) with an “ECMO machine” — which stands for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Reports state this machine is designed to support or temporarily replace heart and lung function.

Doctors at UNMH believed the machine can essentially bring people back to life by circulating blood through their body, however, earlier this week; Lane’s family announced the treatment was not working out as it should have on a YouCaring page.

"Kiley Rianna Terrell Lane left this world and joined her Heavenly Father peacefully on April 18th surrounded by her loving husband, mother, sister, and family. Kiley courageously fought a battle to survive a deadly virus for weeks at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque,” the statement read.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can get infected with Hantavirus after coming in contact with rodents or their droppings or urine.

According to a report in CBS News, more than 728 cases of Hantavirus were reported in the United States as of January 2017, across 36 states, with a majority of them being reported in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, where the deer mouse is a common carrier.

The website also described symptoms of the virus that include fatigue, fever, muscle aches especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and shoulders.

A few people may likely experience dizziness, chills and abdominal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain in addition to the above-mentioned symptoms.

After Lane was diagnosed back in February, her family friend Sherri Hull set up a YouCaring fundraising page to gather money for Lane’s medical expenses.

Lane’s family is also actively involved in raising awareness regarding this fatal virus so that more research goes into understanding the disease and its possible cure.

"Please share Kiley's story with others. Ask questions about Hantavirus. Continue the dialogue about this terrible virus which is feared to be more prevalent than fully understood. If one person is tested early and avoids the pain and agony Kiley endured, it is a life positively impacted,” they wrote on the fundraising page.