[TaMoDee]

Hey, Thanks for the update on the number of cases. I thought there were more.
The current drought in the SW may bring the cases up. Also as the urban areas expand into the desert the exposure rate will go up.

I just wonder how many case are not reported.

[CedarDave]

Hey, Thanks for the update on the number of cases. I thought there were more. The current drought in the SW may bring the cases up.
Actually its the other way around. In wet years, there are more grasses available as food and the population goes up. More mice, more chances for infection.

Also as the urban areas expand into the desert the exposure rate will go up.
Very true

I just wonder how many case are not reported.
Not many, though in early stages it can be misdiagnosed as just a severe case of the flu. In the Southwest, most doctors and ER's know what to look for. It was first identified as a separate disease in 1993, but has likely been around for years. Some forensic types have have identified earlier cases where the patient had bad flu symptoms which then affected the respiratory system and died which may have been hantavirus. I personally don't believe its a new disease, just more common due to human population increasing here.