DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — State and local health officials have confirmed a fatal case of hantavirus in Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it is working with the Douglas County Health Department to investigate a confirmed case of hantavirus in a Douglas County adult that resulted in death. 

CDPHE said the case is not linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak that infected at least eight people and caused two confirmed deaths.

Hantavirus infections caused by the Sin Nombre hantavirus, happen regularly in Colorado, according to CDPHE, usually in the spring and summer, and can cause a severe and sometimes deadly respiratory disease. In Colorado, the deer mouse is the rodent species that exposes people to the virus. 

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