Hantevirus

Hantavirus – Why Cottagers Should Be “Aware” 2026

Recent news has been filled with stories about the hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship.  It seems like a good time for a reminder of how to protect yourself and your family at the cottage from possibly contracting this virus.

Hantavirus has been around for centuries and certainly is not confined to cruise ships.  Humans can come in contact any time.  The hantavirus is found in rodent urine, droppings and saliva and has potentially deadly consequences.  It isn’t commonly found in Canada (or Ontario for that matter), but with the contact we share with nature and surrounding animals, it’s important to remember to take precautions; especially when opening cottages after being closed for periods of time.

The primary carrier of hantavirus in Ontario is the deer mouse.  Other carriers include the white footed mouse and red backed vole.

How hantavirus spreads

People can become infected when they:

• inhale virus particles from rodent urine, droppings or saliva that have been released into the air (this can happen when rodent waste is stirred up from vacuuming or sweeping)
• touch objects, or eat food contaminated with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents
• are bitten by a rodent infected with a hantavirus (this is rare)

NOTE:  (Only the Andes virus (the one that WHO determined caused the cruise infections), can be spread by human to human contact.)

Where exposure is possible

The Public Health Agency of Canada says rodent infestation — in and around the home — is the main risk for exposure, but infestations and exposure are possible wherever rodents are present, including in cottages, trailers and garden sheds.

How to disinfect rodent urine and droppings

Whether at home, the cottage or elsewhere, if you find rodent urine or droppings, the health agency recommends you take the following steps to clean and disinfect:

1. Wear rubber or plastic gloves. If you are cleaning in a confined space, wear a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered respirator.
2. Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings. This will release particles into the air, which you could then breathe in.
3. Spray droppings with a household disinfectant, or a mixture of one part bleach to nine parts water. Let the area soak for 10 minutes to make sure any virus within the droppings will be killed.
4. Wipe up wet droppings with paper towels or a wet mop if dealing with a large area.
5. Wash gloves in disinfectant and hot soapy water before taking them off. Afterwards, wash your hands thoroughly.
6. If a wet mop was used to clean the area, use disinfectant and hot soapy water to clean the mop.

Prevention is important

Because there is no vaccine for hantavirus, disease prevention is important.

People are advised to prevent rodent infestations and to properly clean and disinfect areas contaminated by rodent droppings.

To keep rodents out of your home, shed, garage, cottage and other places, the Public Health Agency of Canada advises people to:

• block openings that might let rodents in
• store food, water and garbage in containers with tightly fitted lids
•

Deer Mouse

place mousetraps throughout buildings

• keep your yard clean
• stack woodpiles away from buildings – not under or up against

For more information regarding hantavirus, you can visit The Public Health Agency of Canada – Diseases