A rare virus that killed actor Gene Hackman’s wife in February has been linked to the deaths of three people in California. Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily spread through the urine, droppings or saliva of deer mice. (Photo by Nick Green/U.S. Geological Survey)

April 6 (UPI) -- A rare virus that killed actor Gene Hackman's wife in February has been linked to the deaths of three people in California.

Officials in Mono County, located between the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the California-Nevada border, announced in a news release Thursday that a third person had died from a hantavirus in the small town of Mammoth Lakes so far this year.

Hantaviruses are a group of viruses primarily spread through rodent urine, droppings or saliva and cause fevers, muscle aches and shortness of breath, with a nearly 40% mortality rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deer mice, which are common in Mono County, are common carriers of it and Mono County officials said they suspect their numbers are higher this year.

Tom Boo, the public health officer for Mono County, said that it was "tragic and alarming" that three people have died from the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, the disease associated with the virus, in a short period of time.

"We don't have a clear sense of where this young adult may have contracted the virus. The home had no evidence of mouse activity," Boo said.

"We observed some mice in the workplace, which is not unusual for indoor spaces this time of year in Mammoth Lakes. We haven't identified any other activities in the weeks before illness that would have increased this person's exposure to mice or their droppings."

Boo noted that, as far as officials know, none of the three victims had engaged in the types of activities that typically lead to exposure to a hantavirus, like cleaning out a poorly ventilated room with an abundance of mouse waste.

"These folks may have been exposed during normal daily activities, either in the home or the workplace. Many of us encounter deer mice in our daily lives and there is some risk," he said. "We should pay attention to the presence of mice and be careful around their waste."

He encouraged local residents to be vigilant with preventative measures against rodent activity, including setting out snap traps and sealing any gaps in a home larger than the width of a pencil, among other measures.

The news came weeks after it was revealed that Betsy Arakawa, Hackman's wife, had died at their home in New Mexico from the virus.

Arakawa and Hackman were both found dead at their Santa Fe home in February, but Hackman tested negative for the hantavirus. His death was determined by an autopsy to have been caused by "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor."

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