Arakawa was found in a bathroom. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings. Thyroid medication pills prescribed to Arakawa were found nearby and weren't listed as contributing to her death, Jarrell said. Hantavirus is typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas. This is the first confirmed case of hantavirus in New Mexico this year.

Hantavirus is a serious rodent-borne pathogen that poses a significant risk to human health, particularly its ability to cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Infection preventionists (IPs) are critical in early identification, risk mitigation, and public education to prevent transmission in healthcare and community settings. Understanding how hantavirus spreads, recognizing its symptoms, and implementing preventive measures can help reduce the risk of outbreaks and protect health care workers and the public.

Symptoms of hantavirus infection include fever, muscle aches and coughing, which can progress to shortness of breath and heart or lung failure. It is not transferable between humans, and Hackman had not contracted the illness. The disease is very rare, with just 864 cases documented in the US between 1993 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NBC News' Dr. John Torres explains hantavirus, a deadly disease that can progress gradually before becoming severe and life-threatening within 24 hours. He recalls first learning about it in medical school, where it was affecting healthy young adults. He also talks about how Gene Hackman's Alzheimer's may have played a part in his death.

In the United States, the carriers of hantavirus are deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and white-footed mice.