Aaron Soudant warns of 8 Hantavirus Peel Region cases risk
Aaron Soudant says many Canadians do not realize hantavirus can be a risk in seasonal properties and outbuildings, a warning that lands as people open cottages after winter in hantavirus peel region. Empty cabins can shelter deer mice, and those rodents are a key carrier of the virus.
“Many Canadians are unaware that hantavirus is a potential risk in seasonal properties and outbuildings across the country,” said Soudant, a director at Abell Pest Control. He also said, “Opening cottages, cabins, sheds, or other areas with signs of rodent activity should always be approached carefully. The good news is that hantavirus exposure is preventable when proper cleaning and safety procedures are followed.”
Aaron Soudant on cottage cleaning
Health guidance says people should avoid stirring up droppings and should use wet cleaning only when droppings are seen. It also says to wear gloves when cleaning traces of rodents, to disinfect with a bleach solution, and to use proper protective gear when contamination is heavy.
Dead mice, nests, and droppings should be soaked with a disinfectant or a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Before spending significant time inside a closed-up cabin, people should leave the building for at least 30 minutes so fresh air can circulate.
Deer mice in Peel Region
Sweeping with a broom or using a standard vacuum cleaner can aerosolize dried rodent waste. Once those particles are airborne, they are easily inhaled. Health guidance says fans should be avoided at first because they can kick up settled dust into the breathing zone before the air has been exchanged.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a rare but severe respiratory illness caused by inhaling virus-laden particles from the droppings, urine, or saliva of infected rodents. In Canada, the virus can be carried by deer mice, white-footed mice, and red-backed voles. The World Health Organization said it has received reports of 8 cases, including 3 deaths, from a cruise ship outbreak of the rodent-borne Andes virus.
For people opening cottages this spring, the immediate step is to treat rodent signs as a cleaning job, not a sweeping job. Soudant said the risk can be managed if owners slow down, ventilate the space, and clean wet rather than dry.
