No cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) were identified in Indiana in 1998. Indiana has recorded only 1 case since the disease was recognized. This case occurred in 1994 when an adult resident of Hendricks County died of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Testing conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta confirmed the infection in this person.

A newly identified strain of hantavirus (Sin Nombre virus) was determined to be the cause of an outbreak of ARDS in the southwest United States in 1993. This strain was also responsible for the HPS case in Indiana.

Hantavirus is contracted by inhaling aerosolized droplets of feces, urine, or saliva from rodents. The common deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) was the predominant reservoir of infection identified in the outbreak in the southwestern United States. Other possible modes of transmission include ingestion or contamination of open wounds with rodent droppings or urine. Person to person transmission has not been documented.

The best way to prevent infection with hantavirus is to avoid contact with rodents or the places where they live. If a person cannot avoid such contact, they can minimize the risk by following some simple measures including: 1) set traps when rodents are observed in the home; 2) always wear gloves when handling rodents or their droppings; 3) prior to cleaning, moisten and disinfect (with dilute bleach, for example) sites where rodents and droppings have been observed so that dust is not aerosolized; and 4) rodent-proof homes as much as possible by sealing gaps where they might enter.