Virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, is spread by rodents

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection, officials in New Mexico announced on Friday.

Hantavirus, found throughout the world, is spread by contact with rodents or their urine or faeces. It does not spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.

An infection can rapidly progress and become life-threatening.

“It really starts like the flu: body aches, feeling poorly overall,” said Sonja Bartolome of UT Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas.

“Early in the illness, you really may not be able to tell the difference between hantavirus and having the flu.”

The virus can cause a severe and sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency began tracking the virus after a 1993 outbreak in the Four Corners region – the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.