Uncover the truth about hantavirus: learn its risks, how to protect your family, and safe cleaning tips after spotting a mouse in your home.

As Canadians begin spring cleaning in their homes and cottages, Health Canada advises taking precautions against hantavirus, a virus primarily carried by rodents such as deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats, white-footed mice, and red-backed voles. While the risk from the Andes strain, which can transmit between humans, remains low in Canada, exposure to rodent droppings, urine, or saliva can still spread other hantavirus strains if inhaled. Experts recommend avoiding sweeping or vacuuming droppings and instead using a bleach or disinfectant solution to wet the waste before carefully wiping it up. Wearing an N95 mask and rubber or plastic gloves is also advised, particularly in confined spaces where rodents may have been active. Homeowners and cottagers should block potential rodent entry points, secure food containers, and remove attractants like open water and food. Sunlight is effective in inactivating the virus, so exposing attics and other dark spaces to natural light is beneficial. Covering open wounds and taking proper hygiene precautions are further preventive measures. Overall, authorities emphasize that the general risk to Canadians remains low, and proper cleaning practices can safely mitigate potential exposure to hantavirus during spring cleaning activities.