How Can I Safely Clean Mice Feces To Avoid Hanta Virus?

Posting Date: 04/17/2000

Kathleen: I found mice fecal matter in a cupboard I was cleaning. I know that mice feces carry the Hanta virus and that a woman in Livermore, California died from it.

How should I clean the cupboard?

Visit the Environmental and Occupational Health Center

Dr. Dean: Hanta virus comes from the airborne dust of old, dry mouse excreta, not the fresh droppings. It is a serious illness that can be deadly, but it is very rare.

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The cleaning recommendation is to wet the area down a bit, rather than sweeping and stirring up dust. Use a spray bottle with some Lysol in it. For added protection, you can buy a disposable mask at a hardware store, the kind carpenters wear to filter sawdust.

I read about the case in Livermore and I have to admit that as I'm cleaning up my country cabin, I too have gotten a little paranoid. So, I remind you and myself that the number of cases in Northern California is actually very low -- one case does not an epidemic make.