As someone prone to health anxiety, and an epidemiologist in training, I get the occasional scare.

Today I was halfway through leaf-blowing our garage before noticing mouse droppings. In Colorado, deer mice are common. They are the primary reservoir of Hantavirus, which spreads via aerosolized feces and urine (CDC, 2025).

For repeated occupational exposure, Hantavirus has an estimated attack rate of 0.00071, or 1 case per 1,412 individuals exposed via rodent handling (PMID: 18252096). This, however, was a short, one-time exposure.

With a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of ~35% (PMID: 21762572), my estimated odds of infection from this incident are about 1 in 3,332, then a 35% chance of death if infected.

The risk is low, but the reminder is important: never sweep or blow around mouse droppings. Spray, soak, and wipe. Even anxious epidemiologists need that reminder.

CDPHE - https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/index.html

#Hantavirus #HealthAnxiety #Epidemiology #InfectiousDiseaseEpidemiology #EnvironmentalEpidemiology

From The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology:

"The ISEE Research Integrity Award honors those in environmental epidemiology who have demonstrated exceptional integrity in the face of pressure from special interests ... The deadline for submitting 2023 award nominations is March 30, 2023."

🏆 👉 https://iseepi.org/research_integrity_award.php

#ResearchIntegrity #Awards #EnvironmentalEpidemiology #Epidemiology #EnvironmentalScience