The recent headlines surrounding hantavirus have resurfaced painful memories for longtime Arizona photojournalist Gilbert Zermeño, known to many as “Z.” While the outbreak currently being monitored by health officials has sparked concern, Zermeño says the virus forever changed his life more than two decades ago.
Zermeño described 2002 as the worst year of his life. In April of that year, he received a call informing him that his mother had been hospitalized in west Texas and that her condition was rapidly deteriorating. He flew home immediately, hoping to spend time with her, but shortly after arriving at the family farmhouse, she died.
Only five days later, tragedy struck again when his sister also died. She was in her 40s and had been living in a wheelchair after suffering injuries in a car accident years earlier. She and Zermeño’s mother had been living together in the same rural home where the virus exposure likely occurred.
Before the illnesses began, Zermeño and his then-wife had helped clean the farmhouse. He recalled moving items around inside the house and noticing dust particles floating through the air. Looking back, he now believes that was the moment he inhaled particles contaminated by mouse droppings, exposing him to hantavirus.
Hantavirus is primarily transmitted through contact with rodents, especially through exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva. When contaminated dust becomes airborne, people can unknowingly breathe in the virus.
After doctors confirmed that Zermeño’s sister had hantavirus, the family realized everyone who had been inside the home could have been exposed. The family immediately began researching the disease and preparing emergency plans in case additional relatives became sick.
About a month later, Zermeño began experiencing symptoms himself while attending an Arizona Diamondbacks game during a day when temperatures reached roughly 105 degrees. Despite the heat, he felt extremely cold, which became the first warning sign that he was infected.
More than two decades later, Zermeño says the memories remain vivid and emotional. He said losing both his mother and sister in such a short period still affects him deeply and feels as painful today as it did then.
He spent around 20 days hospitalized while doctors attempted to determine what was wrong. Although medical staff initially doubted it was hantavirus, Zermeño believed otherwise because of the circumstances surrounding his family’s illnesses. Eventually, testing confirmed that he had contracted the virus as well. He recalled looking visibly ill, saying his skin had taken on a gray appearance during the worst of the sickness.
Despite the devastating experience, Zermeño returned to work that July. However, tragedy continued later that year when his father died of natural causes at age 83 in September.
When reflecting on that difficult period, Zermeño says he finds comfort knowing that several other relatives who had also been inside the farmhouse never became infected, including his nephew. He hopes his story serves as a reminder for people to remain calm but prepared if exposure becomes a concern.
At the same time, Arizona health officials are monitoring a separate hantavirus situation involving a passenger from Arizona who had been aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship during a deadly outbreak. Authorities say the individual currently shows no symptoms and that the overall risk to the public remains extremely low.
Officials stated that the Arizona passenger is not being quarantined or tested at this time because person-to-person transmission of hantavirus is considered extremely rare and generally only occurs through very close contact. Health workers are maintaining daily communication with the passenger while monitoring for symptoms during the virus’s estimated four- to eight-week incubation period.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has already claimed the lives of three passengers. Investigators believe a couple contracted the virus in Argentina before boarding the vessel. Health officials say the number of infected passengers has grown to nine while the ship continues traveling toward Spain.
Dr. Joel Terriquez with the Arizona Department of Health Services said situations involving outbreaks can evolve quickly, requiring continuous monitoring and updated responses as information changes.
Nicole Witt, also with the Arizona Department of Health Services, emphasized that state officials want Arizonans to understand there is currently no major public health threat connected to the monitored passenger. Authorities say transparency and communication remain critical as they continue tracking developments tied to the outbreak.
Source: AZFamily
