• Local Health Jurisdictions

• Notifiable Conditions Reporting Numbers

• Reporting Forms and Guidelines

• Disease Surveillance Data

• Glossary

• Legal Requirements

• EpiTrends

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care ProviderPDF, 97KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care Facility(PDF, 104KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Laboratory (PDF, 55KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Local Health Jurisdiction  (PDF, 44KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Veterinarian(PDF, 60KB)

• Communicable Disease Epidemiology

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Cause: Sin Nombre virus in western United States, other viruses elsewhere.

Illness and treatment: Fever and mild flu-like symptoms are followed by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with respiratory failure and shock. Treatment is supportive.

Sources: The deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is the major reservoir for Sin Nombre virus. Exposure occurs by inhaling aerosolized virus excreted in mouse urine, feces or saliva, particularly during improper cleaning of deer mouse infested areas.

Prevention: Keep rodents out of the home and workplace. When cleaning rodent-infested areas, use appropriate safety precautions.

Recent Washington trends: Since its recognition in 1993 through 2009, 41 cases were reported through 2010 with 13 (32%) associated deaths (including a retrospectively identified case from 1985). Each year there are 1 to 5 reported, mainly exposed in eastern counties.

2010: Two cases were reported with no deaths; both exposures were in eastern Washington.

Purpose of Reporting and Surveillance

• To characterize the epidemiology and clinical aspects of this emerging disease
• To monitor disease trends and recognize outbreaks
• To target prevention and control messages

Legal Reporting Requirements

• Health care providers: notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
• Health care facilities: notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
• Laboratories: Hantavirus detection is notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours. Specimen submission is on request only but confirmation of positive results is recommended.
• Local health jurisdictions: notifiable to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology (CDE) within 7 days of case investigation completion or summary information required within 21 days.

Last update
December 2011