Geo Health

Peru reports first hantavirus death

LIMA: A 29-year-old Peruvian woman has become the first person to die in Peru from hantavirus, a sometimes-fatal disease transmitted by rats and mice, the Ministry of Health said Thursday. The woman, whose name was not released, was from the city of Iquitos in Peru's northernmost jungle region of Loreto. The victim died after spending 18 days in an intensive care unit, where she had developed a severe respiratory infection. The ministry called on the authorities and the population to adopt preventive measures. Hantavirus is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by the contaminated droppings of field mice, deer mice and rats. Early symptoms are similar to the flu, but the disease can quickly spread to the lungs.