The virus that caused the death of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, is a rare disease linked to rodents.

Investigators said Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome about a week before Hackman died of cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease. Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Sante Fe, New Mexico, home in early March.

“Hantavirus is extremely rare,” says Dr. Michael Remines, a physician at Tidelands Health Family Medicine at The Market Common. “If there is a case, it will most likely be in places like Mexico, Arizona and desert climates.”

Since hantavirus surveillance began in 1993, there have been 864 cases reported in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No cases have been reported in South Carolina.

Hantaviruses are spread by rodents, such as deer mice, white-footed mice, rice rats and cotton rats.

More cases have been reported in western United States because deer mice, the primary carrier of the disease, is a common species in the region. About 12 percent of deer mice carry hantavirus, according to the National Park Service. The deer mouse is less common in the eastern United States, particularly the Southeast.

People get the disease when they inhale or have contact with droppings, urine or saliva from infected rodents.

“If an infected rodent dies in your home, then you can get infected by breathing that air as it’s decomposing,” Dr. Remines says. The disease is not spread person-to-person.

Hantaviruses found in the United States cause two syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, or HFRS.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome mimics pneumonia with symptoms including:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Chills
• Difficulty breathing
• Headache

Symptoms can start to emerge one week to eight weeks after contact with an infected rodent. And four to 10 days after the initial onset of symptoms, the late-stage symptoms of HPS appear, including coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid, according to the CDC.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is a severe and sometimes deadly disease that affects the kidneys. Initial symptoms begin suddenly and include:

• Intense headaches
• Back and abdominal pain
• Fever/chills
• Nausea
• Blurred vision

Later symptoms may include low blood pressure, lack of blood flow, internal bleeding and acute kidney failure.

“There’s no cure for hantavirus, only supportive care,” Dr. Remines says.

If you have been exposed to rodents and believe you have symptoms of HPS or HFRS, seek medical attention immediately and mention a potential rodent exposure.

Regardless of region, avoid contact with rodent urine, droppings, saliva and nesting materials.

Before introducing a pet mouse into a home or a breeding facility, talk to your veterinarian about testing for hantavirus.

If you notice mice or rats around your house, follow the CDC’s guide for protecting yourself from hantaviruses.