Rare Virus That Killed Hackman's Wife Kills 3 in Calif.

Hantavirus, the rare virus that killed Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa in February, is now being blamed for three deaths two states away from Hackman and Arakawa's New Mexico home. In Mammoth Lakes, California, a town in the Sierra Nevada mountains known for its ski resort, three people have died of the virus since early February, NBC News reports. Hantavirus is spread from rodents to humans via droppings, urine, and saliva, and cases usually pop up in the spring and summer. "The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year," a county public health officer says. Deer mice numbers in the area are higher than usual this year, ABC 30 reports.

All three victims reported symptoms in February; the first victim died Feb. 27 and the second died March 26. Officials say it's not clear how the third victim, a young adult who died Thursday, contracted the virus. "The home had no evidence of mouse activity," the public health officer says. "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." None of the victims are known to have engaged in activities that could have increased their risk for the virus, such as cleaning out areas where mouse droppings were present. (More hantavirus stories.)