JULIAN (CNS) – The first reported rodent case of potentially lethal hantavirus was found in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park near Julian, it was announced Monday.
A deer mouse collected at the park on Jan. 3 tested positive for the virus. There were a total of 25 positive cases among rodents reported in 2024, up from 17 in 2023.
People rarely come into direct contact with infected animals because wild rodents naturally avoid humans, health officials said. While exposure to hantavirus is rare, people should be careful around wild rodents as there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, according to health officials…