What to know about hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, the cause of Betsy Arakawa’s death

New Mexico officials announced the cause of death Friday for actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa weeks after the couple was found dead at their home in Santa Fe.

The pair died within days of each other and there were no apparent signs of foul play, New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said at a news conference. Their bodies were discovered on Feb. 26.

Hackman, 95, likely died on Feb. 18, from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor, officials said after medical investigators performed autopsies.

His wife, 65, likely died about a week before him of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease often spread by rodents in the Southwest. She was last known alive on Feb. 11, investigators said. 

There were only seven confirmed cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico in 2024, according to state health officials. 

What is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?

Hantaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause rare but potentially deadly illnesses. 

There are many different types of hantaviruses worldwide. 

“These viruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to humans,” Dr. Erin Phipps, the state public health veterinarian with the New Mexico Health Department said at Friday’s news conference. 

Hantaviruses can cause two syndromes: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, known as HPS, or hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, also known as HFRS, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

HFRS is found mostly in Europe and Asia, the CDC said, while HPS is found in the Western Hemisphere, including the United States. 

Hantaviruses have been found throughout New Mexico, primarily in deer mice, but in other rodents as well.  

“A small number of human infections are found every year in New Mexico,” said Phipps. 

Between one and seven cases have been confirmed annually in the state over the past five years, she said. There have been 136 infections confirmed statewide over the past 50 years, with five in Santa Fe County. 

“This is a serious disease,” Phipps said, adding that 42% of the infections in New Mexico were fatal. 

There is no current specific treatment to cure hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

How does hantavirus pulmonary syndrome spread?

The virus is spread in the U.S. through rodents, primarily through deer mice and other similar mice. 

The CDC started monitoring hantavirus in 1993 after an outbreak of severe respiratory illness in the Four Corners region — the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. As of 2022, there had been 864 cases of hantavirus disease reported in the U.S. since surveillance began, according to the CDC.

The virus is not spread from person-to-person, but from animals to humans.

Hantavirus can be transmitted from rodent dropping, urine and saliva. An infected person can get HPS by breathing in the virus, the New Mexico health department said, and this happens when droppings or urine containing the virus is stirred up in the air as mist or dust. It could also spread if someone touches their eyes, nose, or mouth after they have touched droppings or dust that contains the virus.

“Avoiding contact with or breathing in aerosolized rodent urine or feces, especially in a poorly ventilated area, is key,” Phipps said.

People can also get hantavirus from a mouse bite, but this is rare, the New Mexico health department said. 

Most transmissions occur around the resident’s home or workplace. On March 5, New Mexico health officials conducted an inspection of the Hackman’s property, said Phipps. Signs of rodent entry were found on structures on the Hackman’s property, but not in the main residence, officials said.

What are the symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?

Hantavirus infections can initially cause flu-like symptoms that last roughly three to six days. An infected person can suffer from fever, muscle aches, coughs and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

These symptoms can sometimes progress to shortness of breath, heart and lung failure, said Jarrell. This can occur anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure to excrement from a mouse species that carries hantavirus, she said. 

The CDC says early symptoms can include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups like the thighs, hips, back, and sometimes shoulders

Infected people can also experience:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Chills
• Abdominal problems, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain

People suffering from the infection can start to have fluid in and around their lungs about four to 10 days after the initial phase of the illness. The illness can quickly turn life-threatening if that happens.

“At that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, roughly speaking, without medical treatment,” Jarrell said.

Gene Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, officials said.

contributed to this report.