Though Arizona recently reported its first death related to hantavirus in 2026, it's not something for the general public to worry about, Arizona health departments said.
A few cases of hantavirus each year are actually normal in Arizona, according to data from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Little was publicly known about the person who died recently, and where they were infected. The Mohave County Department of Public Health said the person was a Mohave County resident.
Global panic about hantavirus spiked when it infected passengers on a cruise ship in May. But health experts explained that the situation was rare and unique — the cruise ship was contaminated with the only strain of hantavirus that is known to be spread between humans.
Thirteen confirmed or probable hantavirus cases, including two Arizonans, have been linked to the cruise ship outbreak, according to the World Health Organization. One Arizonan was quarantined in Nebraska, while another returned home and was being monitored by the Maricopa County Department of Health.
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The virus also made national headlines last year after the deaths of pianist Betsy Arakawa and actor Gene Hackman.
The Arizona Department of Health Services did not reply to repeated requests for more information.
Here's what to know:
4 Arizonans died of hantavirus in 2025
Hantavirus is a rare infection that is not uncommon in Arizona or the Southwest. It can lead to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which affects the lungs and can be deadly.
The western U.S. sees significantly more cases of hantavirus than the East Coast, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona topped the list of states with the most cases between 1993 and 2023.
In those 30 years, Arizona saw fewer than 100 cases of infection.
Over the last five years, 24 people have been infected with hantavirus, according to data from the state health department. That equals an average of around five cases a year.
The number of hantavirus cases over the last five years was trending upward until 2025, data showed. Cases of hantavirus spiked in 2024 when 11 people were infected, but only six people were infected in 2025.
Four people died from hantavirus in 2025, and another four died in 2024.
1 strain of hantavirus is endemic to Arizona
There are more than 40 strains of hantavirus, but the strain that infected the cruise passengers, the Andes strain, isn't the one most commonly found in Arizona.
The most common in Arizona is the Sin Nombre strain, which isn't known to be transmitted from human to human. The person who died of hantavirus-related complications in northwestern Arizona was infected with the Sin Nombre strain.
The Sin Nombre strain is carried by deer mice, a rodent found across North America. Most infections occur when individuals breathe in dust contaminated with the urine, fecal matter, saliva or nesting materials of infected rodents.
According to the Mohave County Department of Public Health, residents may encounter rodents or rodent droppings in houses, garages, barns, sheds, cabins, campers, RVs, storage boxes, outdoor storage areas, vacant buildings, campsites and other recreational areas.
People who are infected with hantavirus typically develop symptoms within one to three weeks, but symptoms can take up to six weeks to show.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle ache and chills, as well as cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Hantavirus unlikely to be next COVID-19
In a joint press release, the Mohave County health department and the Arizona Department of Health Services said hantavirus is rare but warned the public to be vigilant as infection is typically fatal.
"Although hantavirus is uncommon, awareness and prevention are important, especially for people spending time outdoors or cleaning areas where rodents may be present," said Mohave County Health Director Melissa Palmer.
In May, David Engelthaler, an epidemiologist with Phoenix-based research giant TGEN, said that hantavirus is not comparable to COVID-19.
"There's no indication that this would be the start of an epidemic, let alone a pandemic," he said of the strain found aboard the cruise ship.
Arizona Republic health reporter Stephanie Innes contributed to this report.
