Hantavirus warnings are out

(Denver-AP) -- Scientists are warning that the hantavirus season is here and the disease is a threat to all of North America.<br><br>The virus is carried by deer mice. It causes flu-like symptoms that

Monday, May 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Denver-AP) -- Scientists are warning that the hantavirus season is here and the disease is a threat to all of North America.

The virus is carried by deer mice. It causes flu-like symptoms that can be fatal. In fact, more than a dozen people in the United States and Canada have already died of the hantavirus.

Late spring is the deadliest season as people begin cleaning barns and stables, and head to the hills to hike, bike and camp.

For a long time people thought the virus might be limited to the Southwest, but doctors say it has been reported from Canada to Argentina.

Last month Vermont became the 31st state to confirm a case.

As of May eighth, 250 cases had been reported in the United States since the disease was first identified in 1993. Of those, one-hundred-and-one victims died.