Hantavirus letter to the Editor, Chicago Tribune
Last week, I sent a letter to the editor in response to a few writers belief that mice (not pets) were harmless, and that we should all live in harmony with them...Here is the letter that I wrote:


In response to the letters from January 9, 2006, Voice of the Peopleregarding your "Mouse Wars" article, to those writers who suggestthat 'mice are harmless' and that we should 'live in harmony' with them, I haveone word: Hantavirus.

Not only do deer mice carry thisdeadly syndrome, but all wild rodents should be avoided. Why? Because humans who contract Hantavirus end up with Acute Respiratory DistressSyndrome (ARDS), a syndrome that kills half of the 150,000-200,000 people itstrikes each year in the United States. Those who get ARDS afterHantavirus ... the mortality rate is even higher, estimated to be as high as77%.

Hantavirus is spread to people through breathing in dustfrom an infected rodent's urine, saliva or droppings. Or through handling theserodent excretions and then touching your mouth or nose. Or by rodentbite.My objection is not to humane methods of removing mice,but to the belief that these rodents are harmless.

Remember when we oncethought all birds were pretty harmless, too?

Eileen RubinZacharias
ARDS Foundation, President



and here is what they printed:

Rodent dangersThis is in response to the letters to the editor regarding "Mouse wars: The sequel" (Tempo, Jan. 2).To those readers who suggest that mice are harmless and that we should live in harmony with them, I have one word: hantavirus.

Not only do deer mice carry this deadly syndrome, but all wild rodents should be avoided.

Why? Because humans who contract hantavirus end up with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, a syndrome that kills half of the 150,000-200,000 people it strikes each year in the United States.

For those who get ARDS after hantavirus, the mortality rate is even higher, estimated to be as high as 77 percent.Hantavirus is spread to people through breathing in dust from an infected rodent’s urine, saliva or droppings; or through handling these rodent excretions and then touching your mouth or nose; or by rodent bites.

Remember when we once thought all birds were pretty harmless too?

Eileen Rubin ZachariasPresident
ARDS Foundation
Northbrook

On the plus side, I did get out info about ARDS, statistics, and hantavirus, which is an extremely deadly precipitating cause to ARDS as very few survive.